Art was an important part of Edward Hopper's life from his early childhood. When he entered art school after high school, his parents urged him to go into commercial design as a means of ensuring an income. He took courses in illustration, but after two years he began studying painting with Robert Henri, the leader of the Ashcan School of American painting.

For almost ten years, Hopper supported himself with commercial illustration. During this period, an important event in American art occurred—the Armory Show of 1913. This show included works by American artists and contemporary European artists. After the Armory Show, many American artists began working in a less realistic and more abstract style. The American public, however, resisted this change—it still preferred realism.

Hopper painted architecture of many kinds, but always with an interest in its form. The flat planes of a house, the curved surface of a lighthouse, the stark lines of a railroad track—all allowed him to express a mood through the arrangement of forms. Hopper's art was unique in that it showed his interest in the way light reflected from nonmoving surfaces. In addition, Hopper's art expressed his emotional reactions to these reflections. Hopper also simplified and organized the various forms to give his art a distinct and solitary character. When he portrayed people, they were treated mainly as forms in his compositions.

Hopper's direct and honest portrayal of the ordinary, along with his ability to capture the mood of a time of day with his depiction of light, give a gift of insight to his viewers.