There is so much to see at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, as I have been sharing over the last few days, that it’s hard to know where to look. I narrowed down my time there to some galleries I have never had a chance to visit. One was the “Modern Art” galleries.
I found two Edward Hopper paintings there that were interesting in that they showed the range of his subject matter. The first is called “Tables for Ladies, painted in 1930, oil on canvas. It is a good example of the observations he made of everyday life.
The second one is “Office in a Small City” painted in 1953, oil on canvas. He often painted solitary figures that seemed emotionally detached from other people or their surroundings. This is a good example. You can learn more about Hopper by clicking here.
The Studio 
Office in a Small City
My office is
safe, and spare, and clean.
I am
rounded, neat, lithe- yet governable.
All I know of my small city
lies behind cold squares of
isolating glass.
Its menace cannot touch me.
The city echoes my cold squares with
straight lines, rectangles, and quadrilaterals of glass and stone.
I know intrusive curves atop my building’s facade are
mere stone or cast concrete.
On my desktop
I scratch out panes and facets and fenestrations
to replicate my small city.
The sun makes slants and triangles on my walls.
It is enough.
Thank you Kelly for reminding me how much I like Hopper- his minimalist style makes me think.