“Western Motel” is an evocative artwork by Edward Hopper, created in the year 1957. It exemplifies the New Realism movement through its genre painting style, fitting within Hopper’s renowned ‘Window’ paintings series. The medium of this piece is oil on canvas, and it can be admired at the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut.
The artwork presents a solitary woman seated on the edge of a bed in what appears to be a motel room. The room is modestly furnished, with a deep-red bed, a wooden bedside table bearing a small lamp, and a luggage piece placed on the floor, suggesting a traveler’s temporary stay. The natural light floods the interior through a large window, which frames a tranquil and empty landscape, reinforcing the theme of transient solitude often found in Hopper’s work.
The woman, dressed in a sleeveless red top and dark skirt, faces the viewer with a calm but distant gaze, possibly contemplating either the journey ahead or reflecting on the past. The window to her left offers a view of a barren landscape, under a wide expanse of sky, while a car visible outside hints at the mobility inherent to motels and the traveler’s experience. Hopper’s masterful use of light and shadow creates a palpable sense of stillness and introspection.
Overall, “Western Motel” captures the essence of mid-century American travel and the introspective moments it can bring. Hopper’s work stands as a testament to his ability to articulate the poignancy of the human condition through subtle narrative and compositional elements.
