The artwork entitled “Notre Dame No. 2” is a creation of Edward Hopper, dating back to 1907. This oil on canvas portrays a cityscape genre and is a fine example of New Realism. The piece currently resides in the prestigious Whitney Museum of American Art, located in New York City, NY, US.
In the artwork, the viewer is presented with a representation of the Notre Dame Cathedral. The artist has captured the iconic architecture in soft, warm tones. The focal point, which is the cathedral itself, is depicted in a diffuse light, suggesting either a setting sun or the soft illumination of an overcast day. The brushwork is loose, imparting an impressionistic feel, which allows the essential forms and volumes to stand out against the less detailed background. The cathedral’s majestic façades and flying buttresses are rendered with a sense of solidity, yet there’s a dreamlike quality to the scene, as if it were a fleeting memory or a moment captured in time. In the foreground, lush greenery adds contrast and vitality to the composition, while also partially obscuring the lower parts of the cathedral, evoking a view from a nearby vantage point across a river or a road.
