ART GALLERY - Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper (American, 1882–1967), the best-known American realist of the inter-war period and one of my favourits. Sunlight in a Cafeteria, 1958 Oil on canvas, 40 3/16 x 60 1/8 in.

In Sunlight in the Cafeteria, Hopper used the restaurant setting to portray the tensions or the awkward first meeting between a man and a woman. Each person, while sensing each other’s presence, has not as yet “broken the ice.” He gazes over towards the window, holding a burning cigarette, and she lingers on, having finished her coffee. The sunlight, as it falls diagonally into the room, highlights the drama within.