The Locomotive

"The Locomotive", a 1923 print by Edward Hopper, invites us to contemplate the raw power of early 20th-century technology. This striking black and white image, part of the National Gallery of Art's collection, measures 0.25 meters wide by 0.2 meters high. Hopper masterfully uses strong contrasts of light and shadow to emphasize the imposing size of the locomotive, which dominates the right half of the composition. Notice the meticulous detail he employs in rendering the locomotive's form, contrasting it with the two men dwarfed by its presence on the left. The men, likely railway workers, seem almost insignificant against the machine's might. The tunnel or archway in the background further emphasizes the locomotive's dominance within the confined space. Through his masterful use of light, shadow, and composition, Hopper encourages us to reflect on the awe-inspiring, and perhaps slightly daunting, scale of industrial advancement.