Editing Edward Hopper (section)

=== Methods ===
[[File:Universalist Church (Edward Hopper, 1926).jpg|thumb|''Universalist Church'', 1926, watercolor over graphite on cream wove paper, [[Princeton University Art Museum]]]]

Although he is best known for his oil paintings, Hopper initially achieved recognition for his watercolors, and he also produced some commercially successful etchings. Additionally, his notebooks contain high-quality pen and pencil sketches, which were never meant for public viewing.

Hopper paid particular attention to geometrical design and the careful placement of human figures in proper balance with their environment. He was a slow and methodical artist; as he wrote, "It takes a long time for an idea to strike. Then I have to think about it for a long time. I don't start painting until I have it all worked out in my mind. I'm all right when I get to the easel".<ref>{{harvnb|Wagstaff|2004|p=98}}</ref> He often made preparatory sketches to work out his carefully calculated compositions. He and his wife kept a detailed ledger of their works noting such items as "sad face of woman unlit", "electric light from ceiling", and "thighs cooler".<ref>{{harvnb|Levin|2001|p=254}}</ref>

For ''New York Movie'' (1939), Hopper demonstrated his thorough preparation with more than 53 sketches of the theater interior and the figure of the pensive usherette.<ref>{{harvnb|Levin|2001|p=261}}</ref>

The effective use of light and shadow to create mood is also central to Hopper's methods. Bright sunlight (as an emblem of insight or revelation), and the shadows it casts, play symbolically powerful roles in Hopper paintings such as ''[[Early Sunday Morning]]'' (1930), ''Summertime'' (1943), ''Seven A.M.'' (1948), and ''[[Sun in an Empty Room]]'' (1963). His use of light and shadow effects has been compared to the cinematography of [[film noir]].<ref>{{harvnb|Wagstaff|2004|p=92}}</ref>

Although a realist painter, Hopper's "soft" realism simplified shapes and details. He used saturated color to heighten contrast and create mood.