“Paris Street” is a work of art created by Edward Hopper in 1906. This artwork, fashioned on canvas with oil paints, embraces the New Realism movement. Measuring modestly at 17.6 by 21 cm, it is a cityscape that is part of the collection located at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, New York, United States.
The artwork captures a scene of urban solitude framed within the narrow confines of a Parisian street. The composition is grounded in sharp verticals and horizontals that define the shapes of the buildings and the street. A play of light and shadow is evident across the facades, where the windows reveal darker recesses, a testament to Hopper’s attention to architectural detail and illumination. The palette is relatively muted, with subtle variations of browns, creams, and grays that contribute to the impression of a quiet, perhaps early morning moment in the city. There is a strong sense of perspective as the street recedes into the background, where the sense of depth is amplified by the contrast of the light sky peeking through the top portion of the painting. The scene is devoid of people, which is characteristic of Hopper’s work, often highlighting the theme of isolation even amidst the structures built for human habitation and interaction.
