Imagine walking alone on an empty night street… You pass block after block…until suddenly,
on a deserted intersection…you stumble upon a lonely late-night cafe. It looks empty...
You have a peek inside…and find people there…but they also feel and look…lonely.
Maybe you feel less alone knowing other night owls are in there…
Or should I say…Nighthawks?
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Nighthawks. A painting of a prominent American painter Edward Hopper.
You may have seen his works. Yes, that's him. I knew you'd know.
You get the vibe, don't you? Okay, let's see some more…
Yeah. You feel it, right? That blend of melancholy and...emptiness.
Okay. So we need to examine some facts. Let's dive into the context of the era when Hopper
made his art. According to the journal kept by Hopper's wife Josephine, the Nighthawks
painting was completed on January 21st, 1942, in New York, within the weeks following the bombing
of Pearl Harbour. Therefore, the work is often seen as an expression of wartime alienation.
1942. America had just entered the war. To prevent aerial bombardment, American cities
practiced blackout exercises, which required cities to dim or turn off most of their lights
to minimize the likelihood of being targeted. You might say those were indeed 'dark times'...
Awful joke, yeah, I hear you. This time undoubtedly impacted all
Americans, leaving them uncertain and fearful about their lives and the war's outcome.
You cannot help but wonder what peoples' lives were like during 1940.
You can see that Hopper's subjects are often lonely, lifeless, alienated, and frozen.
He was particularly interested in scenes from big American cities that showed how
the estranged inhabitants hid within these seemingly perfect destinations.
There are no reflections on the outside of the cafe, no people on the streets,
no cars - the only living beings are four subjects sitting quietly inside.
The viewer is placed outside the cafe, but there is no door to enter,
which emphasizes the overwhelming sense of loneliness…Almost everyone can relate to this,
but this painting touches on deeper meanings than a simple diner.
Hopper's paintings are known for making viewers notice the subtle yet powerful
forces that separate people, even when they are physically together.
You may have already noticed how something is always present in Hopper's scenes,
be it a physical object or an intangible emotion,
that creates a feeling of distance and disconnection between the characters.
This attention to detail and the ability to capture the complexities of human relationships
makes Hopper's work so intriguing and timeless. To fully appreciate his style, you must know
what inspired him. Hopper was notably influenced by the Impressionists.
By artists like Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro,
among others, and how they painted scenes of modern life living in the city.
"Modern" for those times, of course. Most of all, the artist was struck by
Rembrandt's painting "The Night Watch." He famously said: "[it is the] most wonderful
thing of his I have seen, its past belief in its reality – it almost amounts to deception."
So, he also considered himself an Impressionist. However, he has primarily
been categorized as an American Realist painter. He dedicated himself to realism and became one
of the prominent representatives of the so-called "American scene," a style that
conveyed a sense of nationalism and romanticism in depictions of the American way of life.
The "American scene" style united American regionalism and social realism,
also known as urban realism. He dives into everyday aspects of American life,
exploring the themes of work, leisure, as well as the experiences of ordinary people.
It's amazing how, more than 80 years later, these feelings resonate in us again. In a new context,
they are still the same feelings in the "decorations" of our 21st century.
So no matter where you are, in your room with only your thoughts, surrounded by friends,
watching a beautiful sunset... or perhaps just maybe, sitting in a midnight cafe.....with
a couple of strangers…in the absolute emptiness of the American microcosm (dream).
Hopper's most famous work contains unfathomable emptiness and limitless potential. Many have tried
deciphering its meaning and weaving a narrative around these four enigmatic characters. The
questions this work raises include these people's identities, origins, and purpose - questions that
Hopper has deliberately never answered. Maybe he left that for us to figure out?
It's suggested that the building in the background behind the diner is 70 Greenwich
Avenue, located on the southeast corner of the intersection of 11th Street. New York, of course.
Are you still looking for answers? By paying a visit, it may offer up its secrets to you.
But remember, it takes the right approach… Block after block…Then all of a sudden,
at a deserted intersection…you stumble upon a lonely late-night cafe with four people inside…
So what do you think of Edward Hopper and his art?
Would you hang his painting in your room? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget
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