This is a series of posts about isolation. The first of these posts focuses on a painting by Hopper. This painting has always been beautiful to me, and I think that I feel this way because of how powerfully Hopper manages to convey a sense of isolation. A man sits in his corner office. Despite some ornamentation that can be seen on some of the other buildings, his building and his office within are completely bare. No signs of life exist anywhere in the painting other than the man himself. This adds to his isolation. The color scheme also creates an increased sense of loneliness. Everything feels washed and a little faded. It feels as though the emotion and vibrancy of the city can't be felt from inside that man's office.

It honestly feels pretty sad, which is I think something Hopper loves to make people feel. This image of loneliness has stuck with me as powerful ever since I first saw this painting. The plain, rather dimensionless lines of the painting mean that nothing clutters it emotionally. It exists to convey one single message. I chose to start off my series with this painting because I think it is the single work that, in terms of intent and execution, most clearly conveys a crippling, overpowering sense of isolation. I hope you enjoy.