High Noon by Edward Hopper - 1949 - 27 ½ x 39 ½ in. Dayton Art Institute High Noon by Edward Hopper - 1949 - 27 ½ x 39 ½ in. Dayton Art Institute

High Noon

oil on canvas • 27 ½ x 39 ½ in.
  • Edward Hopper - July 22, 1882 - May 15, 1967 Edward Hopper 1949

When we think of Hopper, we think of depictions of a lonely person, staring, doing nothing. High Noon is such a picture: an anonymous woman is seen in the doorway although we have no idea why. Is she waiting for someone? Or simply looking out on the day? There is no sense of any activity; she is still and surrounded by a large house that is struck by sunlight, leaving dramatic shadows on the roof and walls. There is no story here, though this is why we love Hopper so much. In his no-stories we have all human stories we can imagine.

In an often-quoted statement made to Lloyd Goodrich, perhaps prompted by the torment of having to comply with editors' demands to depict "people waving their arms," Hopper admitted: "Maybe I am not very human. What I wanted to do was to paint sunlight on the side of a house."

P.S. Here are Edward Hopper’s drawings that will blow your mind. <3