Road in Maine is a painting created by Edward Hopper in 1914. Hopper, an American artist, is known for his paintings of urban and rural scenes that reflect his personal vision of modern American life. In this particular work, Hopper brings his free brushwork under control, depicting a landscape that shows the influence of French artist Paul Cezanne while remaining tied to the actual landscape represented.
Apart from being a painter, Hopper also worked as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching. Nighthawks and Morning Sun are noted figurative masterpieces later painted by Hopper in his career. The oil sketches from Monhegan painted by him are described as jewel-like and spatially ambiguous.
The Bowdoin College Museum of Art offers a rare glimpse into Hopper’s time spent at Maine. This painting demonstrates the delicate balance between realism and abstraction that occurs throughout much of Hopper’s oeuvre(works of art). It represents a moment where he became more conscious about bringing formal structure to his landscapes while still incorporating elements from impressionism (such as the forest canopy blurring into the sky) that remained influential throughout his career.
