BETWEEN LIGHT AND SHADOW: SYMBOLISM AND LIMINALITY IN EDWARD HOPPER’S ART
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/naoma-bulletin-2026-5-24Keywords:
Edward Hopper, liminality, light and shadow, symbolism, visual analysis, realismAbstract
The purpose of this article is to examine how light and shadow function as key expressive and symbolic resources in Edward Hopper’s paintings, enabling the construction of liminal spaces, existential ambiguity, and narrative indeterminacy. The study aims to demonstrate that Hopper’s use of illumination is not merely naturalistic or atmospheric, but a systematic visual mechanism that conveys psychological tension, spatial thresholds, and symbolic meaning. Research methods. The research applies an interdisciplinary approach combining art historical analysis, visual semiotics, and theories of liminality. Selected works by Hopper, including Nighthawks, Automat, Rooms by the Sea, Sunlight in an Empty Room, and House by the Railroad, were analysed in terms of the role of light and shadow in structuring space, temporal perception, and affective impact. Special attention was given to contrasts between artificial and natural light, the ambiguity or absence of light sources, and the expressive function of shadows. Results of the study show that light in Hopper’s paintings operates as a dynamic instrument of liminality. Artificial light produces a sense of temporal suspension, emotional alienation, and spatial isolation, whereas muted or sourceless light reinforces stasis and existential immobility. Shadows destabilize realist space, transform architectural forms into ambiguous agents, and participate in the creation of tension and symbolic meaning. Light and shadow together construct thresholds between interior and exterior, visibility and concealment, presence and absence, and familiarity and estrangement, generating a sense of being “between” spaces, times, and psychological states. Conclusions. The study concludes that light and shadow are central visual and symbolic devices in Hopper’s work, encoding liminality across spatial, temporal, and existential dimensions. By foregrounding these strategies, the article contributes to understanding Hopper’s realism as symbolic realism and provides a methodological framework for analyzing liminality in visual art.
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