Sunlight in a Cafeteria
From the time he was a young man, Edward Hopper was intrigued by people in urban restaurants, where strangers had little interaction. Sunlight in a Cafeteria captures an unsettling tension between the man and woman who are clearly aware of, but do not acknowledge, each other's presence. This edgy stillness suggests the closed lines of communication in much of modern urban life. As in so many of Hopper's paintings, the ambiguity in the scene opens up multiple narrative possibilities.
Geography: Made in United States
Culture: American
Period: 20th century
Credit: Bequest of Stephen Carlton Clark, B.A. 1903
1958
Oil on canvas
102.1 x 152.7 cm
1961.18.31
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Where you'll find this
Yale University Art Gallery
Permanent collection
3rd floor, Modern and Contemporary Art and Design
