Morning Sun - Edward Hopper's ode to urban solitude

You see a lone woman on her bed. She has just woken up, her hair tied up in a tight bun, dishevelled and devoid of any makeup, with her hands propped on her knees, tucked in. Her posture is relaxed and calm, yet distant, reaffirming her sense of solitude. It draws you in, because there is this deep ambivalence as she gazes impassively through the open window, her body bathed in the beautiful, warm, coaxing sunlight of dawn, yet betraying the joy it should usher in. Her unblinking stare emphasising her internal world, over her actual presence in the painting.

The play of light is the central motif in this composition. Streaming through an open window, it lights up her presence while casting a geometric pattern (a parallelogram) on the wall behind. It's as if the light from the window, has unlocked the window of her soul for viewers to peek in. The vast emptiness of the pattern discloses her emotions, and as such it’s born through allegory and brought to life through exquisite brushwork and composition.

A powerful visual metaphor, marrying identity, isolation, independence and privacy with that unknown called destiny.