The “Hotel Room” & the “Balcony Room”
Edward Hopper (1882–1967). An American artist of the inter-war period. Reality in modern America is the central subject of his paintings. A reality portrayed in the media by America to be strong and lively. It’s as if Hopper goes behind the scenes.
The woman in the Hotel Room is sitting on the bed crouching over. She has taken off her shoes and undressed. She looks exhausted maybe from the trip or more seemingly from life. The luggage next to her bed indicates the exterior world. She is now away from it.
Her head is bent down and her eyes seem to look down towards the paper (a brochure or leaflet) in her hand. But she seems to be in her own head and not really looking at what is on the piece of paper.
We do not know who she is; her head is in the shadow so that her facial features are almost hidden. The identity of the figure is not important. She could be any woman, any person. She could be anyone. She could be us.
The room is like a cubicle. Furniture seem to converge towards her, the figure. The furniture and the room (the wall on the left-hand side) are between her and us, the viewer. It is as if the furniture and the room are creating a border between her and us. We are…
