Notes

Ultimately, The key To Hopper’s Nighthawks Is Revealed
a few weeks ago, they asked me to write an article about one of the paintings by Hopper as well as one of the Nighthawks, and I, as an excellent researcher, went to find out. Because it is known, or at least is learned from experience, that to understand a painting, it is necessary to know the history of the painting, the author and, most importantly, the setting in the context in which Hopper painted it. Art is certainly an universal thing, that transcends both space and time which makes it readable after hundreds of years. The interpretations, however, are subject to change as society and the world change and what was once able to be clearly seen, perhaps years after, is not as obvious. What was not considered before now could be revealing our work in a totally different manner.

Re-meaning a work through time
This is a bit like the scene I see when you look at Hopper's " Nighthawks" which was closed by the bar, late at night, in that window wich looks like an aquarium, from the same position as the characters he that are observed.

I believe that in this painting, Hopper was trying to open up space to the viewer, allowing viewers to take in the quiet tranquil, precise and serene scene presented to us by the night.

This particular space, created to be a place for active viewing could be the keystone that allows the work to be changed throughout time and, consequently, to be timeless, immortal contemporary, and modern.

The work, created in 1942, cannot be immediately linked to a specific historical moment however it appears that its date can be altered depending on the changing viewer, depending on the time in which the work is observed.

My opinion is that this is the key to reading, the time and space occupied by the observer that Hopper desired to create.

I'll explain.

Researching information and news on Hopper's " Nighthawks" I was able see how people describe it , highlighting the following elements:

"[...] the solitude, the feeling of emptiness of the world that's shimmering patina begins to give way [...] The uniquely commercial essence lies, the myths rip off their masks and reveal the world as a blurred reality, with no reliable sources of reference , immobilized by uncertainty and unconscience. "

The night and the transformation
I believe this interpretation is not complete and, therefore, it's a interpretation provided by the social context as well as by the date that is attributed to the work: it was the United States between the 40s and 50s during the economic boom that redefined social and cultural assets in the life of people, a society that is even a bit bourgeois where night bars are seen as places of isolation, despair and existential emptiness.

It's a little true, but somewhat not.

The first time I saw this painting, without having studied, it gave me a lot of peace and joy, thanks to its bright contrast and nighttime stillness.


Maybe, coming from the midst of a huge, noisy and bustling city, night is one of those times when I can experience the city in a more peaceful way there are fewer people, fewer cars as well as less noise. There are also more open spaces to choose, and which place to rest under the starless urban sky. The night has a very different meaning to me than those who went to bars in America. United States during the 40s: when the sun goes down, the city transforms its face, the streets are more open and simple.

We cannot ignore how society has transformed itself over the course of more than half a century of cultural and social changes. This is the case that occurred between Pop and Rock culture, between the psychoedelic movement as well as the decade 2000.

Personally, as a daughter in the 90s, I was also a night-time kid and by that I'm referring to everything "formative" experiences that the night provided me with. It is for me normal to go out at night, often walking through the neighborhood on Saturdays , looking for the perfect party, dancing until the early hours and riding around on a motorbike or car to find the last bar open you can grab a hot pizza or croissant or hot pizza, and then where to sip the last glass and light the last cigarette before dawn arrived. Maybe from the 80s afterward, the night no longer frightening those who stayed at home (let's not forget the anti-prohibitionism movement, jazz music and even the notorious Cursed Poets who were all great nights owls) and it has become the cradle where many personalities of the world find tranquility and security of the other nighthawks.

edward hopper nighthawks , Hopper's painting is reminiscent of numerous scenes from contemporary life, and makes me feel proud and in any case sympathize with the last three characters who engage in with the bartender as he is cleaning the bar to end the day and then open another. The nocturnes want to rest in the silence of their nightly companions. They reflect on their lives by watching them through a glass . They form a group of the night, accepting all and not judging anyone. It is no coincidence that in the most ancient primitive civilizations like the Indian one the time between midnight and dawn is known as Brahmamuhurta which is also known as the time of Brahma which is the ideal time to dedicate yourself to prayer, meditation as well as study and reflection. In this space of time the energy levels are higher as well as intense but with a calm, spiritual intensity.

I don't see any solitude or empty space in Hopper's painting. I also found it among the gentrified streets of the night quarters, as even the right-thinking people started drinking in the evening.

So that, even the most famous and oldest neighborhoods had to be transformed into showcases for the consumer; and the spontaneous aggregations of people in the square had to arrange their groups in line waiting to get their turn while the sound of the drums along the other side of the street was silenced by police sirens. That scares me today, that the night is desnatured by its sacred timeless atmosphere, by its being an occasion of aggregation for individuals, and by becoming another uncover productive gear of the system, demanding transparency and respectability from the darkest corners within the cities.

Read More: https://openartimages.com/search/edward-hopper