I Look At This Painting Everyday

Edward Hopper’s perfectly painted dilemma, but what exactly is it?

Pennsylvania coal town (1947) by Edward Hopper. Oil on canvas. 71.1 × 101.6 cm. Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH, U.S. Image source WikiArt

For a few years now, I’ve had a postcard of this painting tacked to my study wall. It’s called Pennsylvania coal town and it was made by Edward Hopper in 1947.

Whenever I stop my work and look up at this painting, I can’t help but feel that Hopper painted something I…