What if Edward Hopper had used a camera rather than a paintbrush? A new exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art explores this exact question by pairing Hopper’s paintings from the museum’s permanent collection with the work of contemporary photographers. Edward Hopper, an American realist painter, is known for his use of light and shadow to create mood. While his paintings depict everyday American life in the 1920s through 1960s, they are anything but ordinary. Through the use of light, shapes, and angles, he conveys great beauty and deep emotion. “Nighthawks,” one of his most famous paintings, depicts customers…