From Williamsburg Bridge 1928

Edward Hopper painted "From Williamsburg Bridge", using oil paint, to conjure up a particular view of New York. The painting has this stillness about it, doesn't it? As if time is standing still. Looking closely, the paint is applied smoothly, almost thinly, yet it captures so much light and shadow. See the orangey-red building in the middle? There is a figure in the window and the muted colors create a kind of quiet drama. The colors are not loud, yet the painting resonates with emotion. Hopper, like Fairfield Porter, was drawn to the quiet beauty of everyday scenes, inviting us to find significance in the mundane and to consider the subjective experience of seeing. There's a quietness, a kind of resigned feeling in the work. It seems to suggest that art is about seeing the world, not fixing it.