Blynman Bridge 1923

Edward Hopper made Blynman Bridge with watercolor. I imagine that he worked quickly, laying down those washes of color, trying to capture the particular light and atmosphere. The blues and greens and grays are so muted; it looks as if it was a cloudy day, the air thick with mist. I can feel him working en plein air, trying to quickly capture the scene before the light changed. He had to be fast, but also decisive with each brushstroke. I wonder if he labored over his painting, or did it come naturally? I am struck by the way Hopper contrasts the man-made structure of the bridge with the organic forms of nature. The bridge is solid and imposing, but the water is fluid. The people crossing the bridge seem lonely, lost in their own thoughts. It's these contrasts that make the work so compelling. It reminds me of other American painters such as Winslow Homer who were interested in depicting the rugged beauty of the American landscape, and the solitary figures who inhabit it.