Edward Hopper High Noon

The Dayton Art Insititue, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Haswell, 1971, Dayton, Ohio. The provocative woman in this work appears to be basking in the sun by her open doorway. In the 1950's Hopper developed an interest in light, in particular the sunlight of Cape Cod. He was so determined to capture the right intensity of brightness in "High Noon" that he built a cardboard motel of the house in the painting, and placed it outdoors. Through observation of this model, Hopper was assured that he could capture the correct amount of sunlight for his work.