The artwork “Couple Drinking” by Edward Hopper was created in the period of 1906 to 1907. It is executed in watercolor and graphite and is a fine example of the genre painting tradition belonging to the New Realism art movement. The artwork measures 17.5 by 20.8 cm and is currently housed in the Whitney Museum of American Art, located in New York City, NY, USA.
In the artwork, a man and a woman are depicted in a close, convivial scene, engaged in the act of drinking. The man wears a dark coat with a white collar, topped with a beret, while holding what appears to be a liquor bottle in one hand, and a glass in the other. Seated across from him is a woman with an elaborate hairstyle and fur-trimmed attire, raising her own glass in a gesture that suggests a toast or a shared moment of enjoyment. The setting is sketched lightly in the background, with indications of furniture and perhaps architectural features, while the foreground focuses sharply on the two figures and their interaction. The color palette is relatively muted with spots of brighter color, a hallmark of Hopper’s early work before he moved on to his signature style of depicting the intricacies of American life with a moody realism.
