Sadly, I have never attended a Edward Hopper exhibition, there was one in London in 2004, but I couldn’t make it, few shows have reached higher visitor numbers at Tate Modern. Hooper’s draw for me was his unique ability to exquisitely paint urban experiences of loneliness, separation and distance with such clarity and intelligence. One that touches me, perhaps more than others in his work, is entitled Automat. This word in American refers to self-service restaurants, where diners would collect their meals from vending machines, the establishments did not employ waiters or waitresses. Once a customer collected their meal, they would sit with it, generally alone. It makes the absolute…