"If the technical innovations of the Impressionists led merely to a more accurate representation of nature, it was perhaps of not much value in enlarging their powers of expression"

This quote by Edward Hopper suggests that the technical developments of the Impressionists, such as making use of light and color, were insufficient to truly expand their powers of expression. Hopper suggests that if the Impressionists were just able to utilize their technical developments to create a more precise representation of nature, then the developments were not of much value. He suggests that the Impressionists needed to go beyond merely duplicating nature in order to genuinely expand their powers of expression. Hopper's quote suggests that the Impressionists needed to utilize their technical innovations to produce something brand-new and unique, rather than simply replicating what already existed in nature. By doing so, they could really expand their powers of expression and develop something genuinely special and effective.