In Office at Night (1940), another “couple” painting, Hopper creates a psychological puzzle. The painting shows a man focusing on his work papers, while nearby his attractive female secretary pulls a file.
Several studies for the painting show how Hopper experimented with the positioning of the two facts, perhaps to amplify the eroticism and the tension. Hopper presents the viewer with the possibilities that the man is either truly unconcerned in the woman's appeal or that he is working hard to ignore her.
Another interesting aspect of the painting is how Hopper employs three light sources, from a desk lamp, through a window and indirect light from above. Hopper went on to make several “office” pictures, but none with a physical undercurrent.
The style is suggestive of many of Hopper's works in that it depicts loneliness in a stark and distinctive fashion.It depicts a man sitting at a desk reading a document in a corner office at night. He is joined by a woman in a blue dress, possibly a secretary, standing at an open file cabinet.
A sheet of paper has fallen on the floor between the two individuals. There is a sexual interpretation of the relationship between the two individuals.
Josephine Hopper served as the model for the woman. Several titles were proposed for the painting, such as Room 1005 and Confidentially Yours, before Edward Hopper chose "Office at Night."
In a letter to the Walker Art Center, Hopper said the work was "probably first suggested by many rides on the 'L' train in New York City after dark glimpses of office interiors that were so fleeting as to leave fresh and vivid impressions on my mind."
The style is suggestive of many of Hopper's works in that it depicts loneliness in a stark and distinctive fashion.It depicts a man sitting at a desk reading a document in a corner office at night. He is joined by a woman in a blue dress, possibly a secretary, standing at an open file cabinet.
A sheet of paper has fallen on the floor between the two individuals. There is a sexual interpretation of the relationship between the two individuals.
Josephine Hopper served as the model for the woman. Several titles were proposed for the painting, such as Room 1005 and Confidentially Yours, before Edward Hopper chose "Office at Night."
In a letter to the Walker Art Center, Hopper said the work was "probably first suggested by many rides on the 'L' train in New York City after dark glimpses of office interiors that were so fleeting as to leave fresh and vivid impressions on my mind."
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