Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper (1882–1967), Blackwell's Island, 1928
Oil on canvas, 34 1/2 × 59 1/2 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. 2013.27. © 2026 Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

In Blackwell’s Island, Edward Hopper explored the intersection of nature and the urban environment at the location on New York’s East River. The painting features a wide expanse of sky above and turbulent cobalt blue water below, bisected by a shadowy skyline of buildings. In the past, Blackwell’s Island (today called Roosevelt Island) had been the site of a prison, mental asylum, and hospital, among other facilities. The island's varied architecture and seclusion appealed to Hopper.