The Camel's Hump 1931

Edward Hopper made "The Camel's Hump" using oil on canvas. What’s interesting to me is the way he uses color to map out the landscape. It’s like he’s thinking through the painting, laying down these planes of ochre and cool greens and blues. Up close, you can see the brushstrokes. They’re not trying to hide anything, you know? It's like each stroke is a record of a decision, a little map of his thought process. Look at the way he layers the paint in the foreground, how the thick impasto gives the hills this sense of volume and weight. Then, that light blue winding stream pulling you through. It’s not just about depicting a landscape, it’s about the act of seeing, the act of making. It reminds me of some of Fairfield Porter’s landscapes, but with a Hopper-esque sense of isolation and quiet observation. They both treat painting as a conversation, a way of working through ideas and feelings.