Thursday, May 15, 2008

Nada Sunrise

Both the paintings by Edward Hopper share a common theme- isolation in the midst of morning, and the sun. Coincidentially, SUNrise and SUNday are the names for the pieces. In Sunday, one can see a woman sitting on the bed, in a fetal-esque position, with her hands wrapped around her, gazing out the window at the rising sun. The room is sparsely furnished, and there is hardly a view outside her window. She seems to be very closely connected to the older waiter in "A Clean, Well Lighted Place." His world is one-dimensional, cleanliness and light are the governing forces in his life. His life, like the room, has little decoration, only the bare necessities.
Also, as mentioned before, the woman in the Sunrise painting has little to see outside her window, much like the older waiter has little to see or experience outside his quiet, clean life. Even though he is content, he is lonely as well. Everything is nothing to him, but this doesn't seem to bother him much. Likewise, the woman in the picture is staring in a melancholic state out the window, but she does not seem upset. It is as if the only thing both of them look forward to is another sunrise, one more bright light in their world to stave off their dispair. This contentment leaves them in a state of tranquil complancency, neither joyous nor tragic, simply at peace with living; with being. The sunrise keeps them from their nada, yet upon its passing, the former sunrise is just a part of the bigger picture of nada, ready to be chased away by another sunrise.

No comments: