Night in the Park

At a moment when gravel bridle paths were being paved over for automobiles and gaslights swapped for incandescent bulbs, Edward Hopper depicted a metamorphosing Central Park as a special place where one could read the newspaper on a bench in the evening. Hopper’s work imparted a version of New York distinct from that of his contemporaries, who portrayed crowds and skyscrapers as the components of urban life. This theatrically lit scene offers a contradictory narrative, showing how singularly alone one can be in a metropolis that the 1920 census recorded as having 5.6 million residents. While known as a painter, Hopper made etchings to distribute his work affordably, and many people around the world came to know New York City through prints and photographs depicting it in mood-lit monochrome.