Few artists have been able to capture the American experience as well as Edward Hopper. His stark paintings of the daily scenes of urban life seem to tap into a universal truth, suggesting that we are at once together and completely alone. Hopper began painting the modern American scene in the 1920's after studying people in New York restaurants, committing to memory their posture, mannerisms, and facial expressions. He was particularly taken with city women, whom he committed to canvas beginning with 1929's Chop Suey. Visitors to Seattle now have the rare opportunity to see a small, interconnected group of Hopper paintings that center on the modern woman. Edward Hopper's Women is on display at the Seattle Art Museum through March, bringing to the city a collection of ten paintings that encapsulate the social changes of the time. In addition to Chop Suey, the show features such classics as Sunlight in a Cafeteria, a 1958 study of silent communication; and New York Movie, a 1939 painting of a usherette whose mind is clearly wandering from her job. Looking at Hopper's work, one feels a connection to his subjects, as if we could simply walk up to them and shake them from their daydreams. That it evokes such a reaction is a testament to Hopper's talent. The museum is just minutes from the W Seattle.