Edward Hopper (1882 – 1967) was one of the great American realist artists of the 20th century who painted scenes of everyday life often depicting darker aspects of the American dream such as solitude and isolation. Hopper came to mind as I was finishing this painting, especially his famous artwork ‘Nighthawks’ (1942) that depicts a small group of barely interacting customers in a brightly lit diner on a dark night. While there was no direct inspiration from Hopper here the parallels with his work are clear; the bright lights on a dark night and what I would call the ‘silos of solitude’ – the lone pedestrian and passing vehicles driven by their sole occupants. Each is operating in isolation, self-contained and caught up in their thoughts. The visual metaphor is even more relevant given the Government imposed lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. While solitude shouldn’t be confused with loneliness, in our modern urbanised society both are the standard experience of many.
Photo reference credit: Hugo Powell.