The artwork “Conference At Night,” created by Edward Hopper around 1949, is an oil on canvas painting that belongs to the New Realism art movement. Measuring 101.6 x 70.49 cm, this piece is a genre painting and is part of Hopper’s series of ‘Window’ paintings. Currently, the artwork is housed at the Wichita Art Museum in Wichita, Kansas, United States.
The artwork portrays an interior scene set during the nighttime, where three characters are engaged in a seemingly serious conversation. The setting includes a bare room with minimal furniture, consisting of a wooden bench set against a stark, white wall bathed in a strong, artificial light projecting from an unseen source that creates a dramatic play of light and shadows. A man in the foreground, clad in a dark suit and a hat, stands with his back to the viewer, partially obscured by the room’s doorway. His stance and position give the impression of either entering the room or being an onlooker to the interaction. The central figures comprise a woman dressed in a black outfit conversing with a seated man, who is engaged in a gesturing explanation or discussion. The man’s casual appearance, with rolled-up sleeves and a waistcoat, contrasts with the woman’s formal attire.
The subjects are positioned by a window that allows the outside light to cast geometric patterns on the room’s surfaces, creating an interplay of warmth and coolness that is characteristic of Hopper’s exploration of light. The artwork suggests a narrative of professional or personal deliberation, enveloping the scene with a sense of tension and contemplative solitude that is a hallmark of Hopper’s work. It captures a moment in time, frozen and quiet, reflective of the artist’s interest in the subtleties of human interaction and the transient nature of light.
