Edward Hopper, an Acquired Taste

I have just finished reading Edward Hopper: Light and Dark, a biography of the famous American Realist painter. I admit it, Hopper is a difficult artist to appreciate. His attention to the quality of light is dazzling. Look at this example, the famous "Nighthawks." The light inside the diner is different than the light outside the diner and the building is also lit by an unseen street lamp. I love that.

But the people are uncomfortable, lonely, isolated even when in the company of others. I think that's part of what makes Hopper difficult for me, the pessimistic feel to his work. Beautiful, provocative, and uncomfortable. All at once. Isn't art great?

"Great Art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision of the world." ------ Edward Hopper