chop suey (section)
By Edward Hopper, 1929
Two women sit across from each other at a small table in a Chinese restaurant, caught in a quiet moment of conversation. Painted by American artist Edward Hopper in 1929, "Chop Suey" captures the everyday life of a busy city, with sunlight pouring through the window and falling across the wall in warm yellow blocks. The woman in the bright green coat and stylish cloche hat faces us directly, while her companion sits with her back turned. Behind them, a man and woman share their own table, adding to the feeling of a real place full of life.
Hopper had a gift for making ordinary scenes feel a little mysterious. Even though the restaurant is full of people, there is a sense of stillness and solitude that runs through much of his work. The title comes from the partial sign visible through the window, which would have read "Chop Suey," a popular Chinese-American dish at the time. Restaurants like this were inexpensive and welcoming, becoming favorite spots for young working women in the 1920s to meet and socialize on their own.
Hopper is one of the most beloved American painters of the twentieth century, known for his honest scenes of cafes, diners, and lonely streets. This particular painting holds a remarkable record too. In 2018 it sold at auction for over 91 million dollars, one of the highest prices ever paid for a work by an American artist.