Work: Cape Cod Afternoon by Edward Hopper

The painting is of a house in Cape Cod, where Hopper spent his summers in the later years of his life. It was the last canvas he painted outside, and due to the amount of time it took to paint it Hopper was dependent on memory to render the seasonal effects.

I saw Cape Cod Afternoon in the Carnegie Museum, and the reason ended choosing this painting is because the calming effect it had on me. The depiction of the house is very simple; it could be any house in any part of rural america during the summer. The painting reminded of summers I used to spend at my grandparents house. I felt like I could understand the atmosphere Hopper was trying to get across, and that's why it had an impact on me.