Studies in quietude, Edward Hopper's cityscapes and landscapes are often lit by the early morning or late afternoon sun that so fascinated the artist. Urban scenes with static figures are washed with a restrained, filtered sun, evoking for some a sense of loneliness or alienation. By contrast, many of Hoppers rural New England paintings are bathed in bright sunlight, their companionable figures seeming to sit in contemplative silence. Light and shadow are at the heart of his iconic art, imbuing his paintings with narrative ambiguity.