Edward Hopper, Manhattan Bridge Loop, 1928, and two studies for Manhattan Bridge Loop, both 1928

Carter Foster: Hopper made one or two of these drawings, on site, on the Manhattan Bridge. 

So the drawings are, of course, his memory records and memory traces that were used back in the studio to make the painting, which is actually significantly different than what you see. He elongates the space. He changes around some of the elements that were actually there to make a long, lateral composition. 

Narrator: In this painting and others in this gallery, you’ll see Hopper developing the voyeuristic viewpoint—always on the outside looking in—that is one of the hallmarks of his work. 

Carter Foster: From that bridge you can look into the upper stories of buildings, or you're on the same level as upper stories of buildings. And this was a vantage point that interested Hopper a great deal. It depends on the fact that we live in a dense, built urban environment. You can be at different levels and look into different areas and buildings and be in different physical spaces.