“Early Sunday Morning” is an evocative oil on canvas painting by Edward Hopper, completed in the year 1930. It exemplifies the New Realism art movement and depicts a cityscape scene, rendered in a palette that emphasizes the interplay of light and shadow. The artwork spans dimensions of 35 x 60 inches and is currently housed within the esteemed collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art, located in New York.
The artwork showcases a row of commercial buildings basked in the soft, diffused light of early morning. The viewer’s eye is drawn to the warm hues of red and orange of the upper-story façades bathed in sunlight, contrasting with the deeper, shadowed tones of the shops below. The scene is devoid of active human presence, save for indistinct figures and a solitary barber’s pole that stands in stark prominence. Emptiness and a poignant silence seem to pervade the streetscape, suggestive of a quiet moment in the city before the day fully begins. The painting is perhaps a commentary on solitude within the urban environment, a theme commonly associated with Hopper’s work. The meticulously depicted architectural details and the nuanced portrayal of light reflect the artist’s meticulous observation and his ability to impart a sense of stillness and introspection.