While many people know of Edward Hopper because of his paintings, they may not be aware that Hopper's first call to fame was actually from his success in illustration and etching. Etching, a technique in which a composition is incised into a metal plate and then printed in ink on paper, was particularly suited to Hopper's style, allowing him to use strong, clean lines and cross-hatching to enhance the mystery of his chosen subjects and focus on light vs dark. Hopper created a lot of his work to express postwar feelings, for example, alienation and ambiguity. He was one of many American artists that was "neither totally abstract nor traditional" (Hills 177) because he used a lot of distortion in his work as well. Take a look at our site to learn more about Hopper and his journey.