Edward Hopper’s The Camel’s Hump, 1931
By Olivia Munnelly ’20
Edward Hopper is an iconic American painter, well-known for his scenes that evoke feelings of loneliness and isolation in the first half of the 20th century in America. He also painted several landscape scenes in Truro, Massachusetts, where he would spend his summers. This work in particular depicts the Camel’s Hump, a hillside and winding road in Truro. The Camel’s Hump is a vibrant and serene landscape, reflective of Hopper’s summers in Truro.
In some of Hopper’s works, especially in his city scenes, he uses a more subdued palette, however, this painting uses more vibrant colors. There are bright greens, yellows, blues, white, and also browns throughout the painting. Hopper masterfully emphasizes the contrast between the highlights and darker areas of the painting, providing a great sense of depth throughout. In his use of light green paint in the foreground, Hopper is also to greater emphasize the texture of the grass and hillside. There is even a use of slight impasto on the painting, making the viewer truly feel as though they could touch the grass as it blows in the wind. This contrasts with the textures used in the background, as Hopper transitions to darker shades, like brown and black. In using these darker tones, Hopper creates a smoother texture in the background. This is reflective of how someone would view this landscape in real life. One would not be able to pick out all of the small individual textures and blades of grass on the hillside in the background, instead there would be a smoother, all-over, more cohesive texture of the hill in the distance. Hopper also paints a very delicate sky, with soft blue, and thin wispy clouds streaked across the top right-hand corner of the painting. In the sky, Hopper’s brushstrokes completely disappear, which differs from the foreground, where short intentional brushstrokes created a more emphasized texture. Finally, Hopper also uses undertones of pink, using contrasting colors to further bring out the brightness of his palette. Hopper masterfully uses color, texture, and contrast to emphasize the colors within the landscape, making the work appear very realistic and natural.
Although this is not one of his street scenes, this work evokes a similar sense of loneliness. This is different from the loneliness and isolation in his other works, as it appears to have more of a solitude and serenity to it. Truro is a place where Hopper was happy and enjoyed himself. This is reflected in the care in which he put into constructing and detailing the landscape, in with the ease he appears to have created the thin white clouds with a flourish of paint. Further, there are no sharp lines in the painting, which also elevates the peaceful feeling this painting evokes. There are rolling hills, and a winding road cutting across the images, and these are the lines the eye tends to follow as the viewer moves throughout the work. The Camel’s Hump is a tranquil landscape, and Hopper painted the artwork with great care and gentle brushstrokes.
The painting is nearing 100 years old, and its age is evident in the two cracks on the top and bottom, along the stretcher bars. Despite this damage, the painting is still a masterpiece, which is why it is hung in a position of pride at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute. Once you enter the museum, The Camel’s Hump is the first thing you see hung on the wall to the right. In The Camel’s Hump, Hopper constructs a beautiful landscape, that makes the viewer feel as though they are seaside in Truro themselves. He masterfully uses color, tone, and contrast to create realistic depth within the landscape. These techniques also emphasize the texture, further illustrating the realistic nature of the work. The Camel’s Hump has a soothing, serene feeling, and beautifully depicts a place that clearly meant a lot to the artist himself.
