Project 2 : Room and Narrative - Painting

Artist: Edward Hopper
Painting: Chop Suey
Year: 1929
Oil on canvas.

Chop Suey by Edward Hopper portrays two women who appear to be in conversation in a café. The general feel of the painting is sombre and grave. Although there are other patrons in the café, there is an air of isolation about the two women. It is as though she is lost in her own thoughts.

The woman opposite the main woman is dressed very similarly to her and this suggests that she may be her doppelganger. Perhaps, it is a metaphor instead to suggest that there is another side to the character of the main woman. Like many of Hopper’s paintings, this painting too pays close attention to the effects of light on the subject. The main subject is brightly illuminated but instead she portrays emotions of sadness and uncertainty.

The space that they are in is brightly lit by natural light as well. This in turn gives the space an atmosphere of warmth and somewhat softens the hardness of the cold surfaces in the space.

Hence, I developed the narrative of "a therapeutic escape for a woman suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder."