To start with looking at Edward Hopper as an artist would be a logical first step when understanding some context behind Woman in the Sun. Many of you are probably familiar with Hopper’s Nighthawks, as it is one of his most popular works. The painting features a depiction of a sparsely populated diner at night, with unlit streets surrounding it. Hopper painted this roughly around two decades prior to the piece that we are looking at. And what was happening two decades before 1961? That would be World War II. The solitude portrayed in Hopper’s Nighthawks is absolutely intentional, as it shows New York City amidst the war. The emptiness of the image tells us that many people are away, fighting in a war and those that are left could perhaps be feeling some uncertainty in the world, as this was painted in the earlier stages of the war. The ideas provoked by Nighthawks are familiar, but unnerving. The city streets, even at night, should be bustling with some activity, but they are not. Of course, a painting as well-known today as Nighthawks didn’t fly under the radar. People were drawn to this painting and related to its depiction of isolation and hopelessness during wartime. It stuck with people. Because of this critical reception to this piece – and even prior to Nighthawks – Hopper knew that he had a talent for capturing this lonely vibe of the environment around him. World War II itself was something that affected everyone, and this was Hopper’s way of expressing that. It is also important to note that Hopper already had a name for himself at this time; he was popular and known in the art world, consistently providing works such as Nighthawks.