Watercolor Artist - USA (2019-08)

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HUGO KASTOR FUND, 1957THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Foregroundshadows,presumablycastby

nearbytrees,werepaintedwet-into-wet.Their

contours are blurred, and we jump right past

the grassy embankment to focus on the engine,

which Hopper painted with great precision.

Alessexperiencedpainterwouldhave

emphasizedcolordifferencesbetweenthe

grass and the locomotive. Hopper, however,

engaged subtle color harmonies, allowing a

dull green hue to unify the ground plane with

the train’s engine, which ties them together.

Within the locomotive, he found variations of

warmer brown and reddish tones.

Hopper painted the blue sky using freely applied washes.

Working rapidly, he retained a sharp edge at the top of the

clouds.Thedramaticwhiteshapehelpstoframethe

locomotive,rivetingourattentiononitsdarkmetalliccontour.

Based on their placement, the clouds

provide a sense of movement. They

seemtosuggeststeamrisingfromthe

smokestackofthedormantengine.