Skip to product information

Edward Hopper

House by the Railroad

House by the Railroad

Description

Edward Hopper’s desolate house sits by the tracks, a silent witness to a changing America. This painting isn't just a building. It's a feeling. A stark portrait of isolation that defined a generation. Its eerie solitude later inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’, cementing its place as a haunting icon of American art and psychology.

Details

You know that feeling when a building just stares back at you? Edward Hopper was the king of that unsettling quiet. His "House by the Railroad" is a perfect example of his knack for making you feel something powerful from something so still. It’s a grand old Victorian, isolated and looming, with train tracks running right past it. This isn't just a pretty landscape. It feels like a character itself, observing the world.

Painted in 1925, this piece was a game-changer for Hopper. He’d spent years doing commercial illustration, struggling for recognition. But this was one of his first major oil paintings to really make waves, marking his pivot to the fine art world. In fact, it was the very first painting acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Talk about an entry into the big leagues.

Hopper’s signature American Realism style is all over this. He found beauty in the mundane, in the overlooked corners of the country, capturing a sense of loneliness and quiet dignity. And if this house gives you a shiver, you’re not alone. Alfred Hitchcock famously drew inspiration from it for the Bates Motel in *Psycho*. This painting perfectly encapsulates that feeling of being just a little bit out of place, watching the world go by. It’s a classic for a reason.

Shipping & Returns

When Van Gogh had a thing for cypresses, frequently featuring them in his work. He wrote to his brother about how he felt no one had truly captured their essence as he perceived it, comparing them to an Egyptian obelisk. 

Regular price $70.00
Regular price Sale price $70.00
Sale Sold out
View full details

More About The piece

You know that feeling when a building just stares back at you? Edward Hopper was the king of that unsettling quiet. His "House by the Railroad" is a perfect example of his knack for making you feel something powerful from something so still. It’s a grand old Victorian, isolated and looming, with train tracks running right past it. This isn't just a pretty landscape. It feels like a character itself, observing the world.

Painted in 1925, this piece was a game-changer for Hopper. He’d spent years doing commercial illustration, struggling for recognition. But this was one of his first major oil paintings to really make waves, marking his pivot to the fine art world. In fact, it was the very first painting acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Talk about an entry into the big leagues.

Hopper’s signature American Realism style is all over this. He found beauty in the mundane, in the overlooked corners of the country, capturing a sense of loneliness and quiet dignity. And if this house gives you a shiver, you’re not alone. Alfred Hitchcock famously drew inspiration from it for the Bates Motel in *Psycho*. This painting perfectly encapsulates that feeling of being just a little bit out of place, watching the world go by. It’s a classic for a reason.