HOPPER AND THE HOUSE

A rail line stretches horizontally along the bottom of the picture plane. A very flat band of mountain range rests like a foundation structure along that entire expanse of rail line. Above this are strips of cloud that could function as clapboarding, and above those are a painterly expanse of sky, ranging from yellow to a choppy bluie. The picture plane is, therefore, divided into horizontal bands, ranging from a thin near-black band at the base--"the earth"--accented by thin, silvery rail bands, somewhat like constructional girders, to a thick band--less dark and more green--that functions like a rusticated stone foundation wall. The heavier elements of sky--like the dark, thin cloud strips lie at the bottom of the sky, while the lighter, airier sky floats at the top, but somewhat provides a roof-like sense of completion. The vertical lookout tower and the signal pole pin the visual elements together into a unified whole. The red band above the mountain range that defines the sunset also divides the heavier "stone " section of the "building" from the lighter areas made from "wood." The elevation views of buildings tend to be balanced. Here there is a balance between dark vertical (built) elements on the left, and the light-and-dark horizontal elements of the clouds to the right.