People in the Sun

Artwork Description

In People in the Sun, five people sit on the terrace of a hotel gazing toward a line of distant mountains. Stark contrasts and cool light emphasize their static poses and deadpan expressions. The painting was initially inspired by sunbathers in Washington Square Park near the New York City apartment the artist shared with his wife, artist Josephine Nivison. The two toured the country together and spent most summers on Cape Cod. Hopper changed the locale here to a western setting, drawing on memories of tourist destinations he visited in the American West. The figures, crowded into the lower left quadrant, observe but remain apart from the natural setting. The abstracted environment veers between a real view and a movie set, as if Hopper were silently replaying a film about the discomfort of city dwellers confronting the vastness of the western landscape.