The artwork titled “Corn Hill” was created by the renowned artist Edward Hopper in 1930. This piece falls under the New Realism art movement and is executed in oil on canvas, measuring 72.39 by 107.95 cm. Representing the genre of landscape painting, the artwork is housed at the McNay Art Museum located in San Antonio, Texas, United States.
Upon examining the artwork, one observes a sparse composition dominated by a large hill that ascends gently towards the horizon. The landscape portrayed is relatively barren, featuring undulating land that is painted in warm, earthy tones, with shades of yellows, browns, and ochres, contrasting with darker shadows that mark the rolls and depressions of the terrain. At the crest of the hill, a series of houses are depicted in a simplified architectural form, their sharp angular roofs cutting against the sky. The buildings are relatively uniform in appearance, spaced out along the hilltop, and rendered in a manner that suggests isolation and quietude.
The sky above the landscape in Hopper’s “Corn Hill” is substantial yet seems devoid of dramatic clouds or vivid colors, implying either an overcast day or the soft light of late afternoon. Hopper’s employment of light and shadow imparts a three-dimensionality to the scene, while also contributing to the overall mood of stillness and contemplative silence. The work exemplifies Hopper’s fascination with the ordinary aspects of American life and his skill in imbuing them with a profound sense of emotional depth and narrative.
