American Art Collaborative

During the summer of 1927, Edward Hopper discovered the Two Lights lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Over the course of three years, he would paint the lighthouse twice. For Hopper, the play of sunlight and shadow across the buildings offered rich formal possibilities, which he exploited in a brilliant blue sky and strong contrast between light and dark. Perhaps one of the most enigmatic of modern American artists, Hopper created indelible images of the American scene, both urban and rural. His quiet, brooding paintings evoke both the isolation and exposure associated with modern life.