Image1: Edward Hopper (1882-1967), American. Nighthawks, 1942. Oil on canvas, 84.1 × 152.4 cm.
Nighthawks is an Oil on canvas painting that was made by American artist Edward Hopper in 1942. The painting was about, in Edward Hopper’s words “unconsciously, probably, I was painting the loneliness of a large city.” In an all-night diner, three customers sit at the counter opposite a server, each appears to be lost in thought and disengaged from one another. (ART INSTITUTE CHICHAGO, N.d.)
The painting (Image1) gives me a strong feeling of loneliness. The street is empty, all the shops are closed and no lights on it. This is because “This painting was completed on January the 21st 1942. Just weeks after the bombing of pearl harbor and America’s entry into World War two. The feelings of dread that many Americans had influenced the painting. Afraid of air raid attacks, New York had blackout drills, and lights were dimmed in public spaces. Streets emptied out, and hopper’s city was effectively dark and silent. (Great Art Explained, 2021)
We could see that the diner is not empty, there are four people sitting in it. But they are not talking to each other. This is somehow a reflection of Edward hopper’s marriage. Edward hopper did not have a happy marriage, he was always arguing with his wife Josephine Nivison. They would sometimes not talk to each other for days and spent much of their marriage in silence. The couples in Hopper’s paintings are not communicating, touching, or displaying any affection. (Great Art Explained, 2021)
He used some ways to let our gaze shift from exterior to interior. For example, He created this kind of tone difference by making the outside dinner dark tone of red and green and the inside dinner bright yellow. He used strong diagonal lines for the diner that converge off-screen and suggest a space outside the painting. [2]
This artwork(Image 1) surely gives me a feeling of loneliness, but it didn’t bring me any negative feelings related to loneliness. It made me think that loneliness does not have to drive someone crazy or bring negative feelings to the one who is suffering it. We can really calm down and face it, We can live peacefully with it. Just like this painting, everything seems unconnected but peaceful.
Image Reference List
Image 1. Edward Hopper. (1942). Nighthawks. Available from: Nighthawks | The Art Institute of Chicago (artic.edu). [Accessed 17th February]
Reference List
ART INSTITUTE CHICHAGO. Nighthawks. (No date). Available from: Nighthawks | The Art Institute of Chicago (artic.edu). [Accessed 17th February]
Great Art Explained. Nighthawks by Edward Hopper: Great Art Explained. (2021). YouTube. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKIbT-4UFaE&t=49s [Accessed 3 October 2022].
Thank you!
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