Notes

The Insider Secret on Hopper’s Nighthawks Uncovered
few weeks ago they asked I write an article about one of the paintings by Hopper, one of the Nighthawks and I, as a good researcher, went to learn more. Because it is known, or at least is learn by experience, that in order to appreciate a painting it is necessary to know the history of the painting, the author and above all the context in the context in which Hopper painted it. It is surely something universal, transversal to 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 seen clearly, possibly years later, is no longer evident. What was unthinkable before, today could reveal the work to us in a completely different way.

Re-meaning a work through time
This is similar to the scene I see when you view the work of Hopper's " Nighthawks" which was closed by the bar at evening, and in the window, which resembles the inside of a fish tank, in the position of characters observed.

I believe that in this painting, Hopper wanted to give space for the viewer to allow him to observe the silent tranquil, precise and serene scene given to us by the darkness.

The space, designed to be a place for active viewing could be the keystone that allows the artwork to change in the course of time, and to remain timeless, indestructible contemporary, and modern.

The work, created in 1942, is not immediately linked to a specific historical moment, but it seems that its dating is changeable according to the changes in the viewer, depending on the exact time at which the work is observed.

In my opinion this is the most important aspect of reading, the space that is occupied to the reader Hopper wanted to create.

I'll explain.

Researching information and news on Hopper's " Nighthawks", I was able to be aware of how many people have described it by highlighting these elements:

"[...] the solitude, the feeling of emptiness of the world that's shimmering patina is beginning to fade. [...] The distinctly commercial character lies, the myths rip off their masks and show a displaced reality, without reliable sources of reference in the face of uncertainty and a lack of morality. "

Night and transformation
I am of the opinion that this interpretation is not complete and, therefore, it is an interpretation given by the social context and by the date associated with the work that took place in it was the United States between the 40s and 50s, during the boom in economics which redefined the social and cultural values in the lives of the people, a society that is even a little bourgeois, where night bars are seen as places of solitude and despair, as well as a sense of emptiness.

This is somewhat true and it's not the whole truth.

First time that I saw the painting without having studied it, it gave me a lot of joy and peace, with its bright contrast and nocturnal stillness.

Maybe, coming from an extremely noisy and crowded metropolis, the night is one of the moments that I am able to enjoy the city in a more peaceful way with fewer people in the area and fewer vehicles, less noise, more space between the streets to choose, and the best place to be, beneath the starless urban sky. The night is a different meaning to me than those who frequented bars in the United States during the 40s as the sun's path down, the city transforms its appearance, and streets become more open and easy.

We cannot ignore how society has evolved through more than a half century of social and cultural changes. https://openartimages.com/search/edward-hopper is the case between Pop as well as Rock culture, and between the psychoedelic movement as well as the decade 2000.

Personally, as a child in the 90s, I have also grown up at night and by "growing up" I am referring to all the "formative" experiences that the night gave me. For me it is always common to be out at night, often walking through the neighborhood on weekends, searching for the best party, dancing until dawn while riding a motorbike, or driving around in search of the last bar that is open you can grab a croissant or hot pizza or hot pizza, and then where to sip the last glass of wine and light the last cigarette before sunrise arrived. Perhaps from the 80s to the present, nightlife stopped from frightening those who stayed the house (let's keep in mind the anti-prohibitionism movement, jazz music and the cursed Poets, all perfect evening owls) and it became the cradle where many personalities are able to enjoy the comfort and peace of other nightclubs.


Hopper's modern realism
Today, Hopper's painting is reminiscent of a variety of scenes from contemporary life, and make me feel happy and, in all likelihood, sympathize with the final three characters, who exchange with the bartender as he clears the bar in order to conclude the bar and begin a new. People who are nocturnal seek peace in the silence of their nightly companions. They contemplate their lives, watching their surroundings through a glass, and 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 that the half hour before dawn is called Brahmamuhurta, or time of Brahma which is the ideal time to dedicate yourself to prayer, meditation, study and introspection. This is the time of day when the energy is more intense as well as intense but with tranquil, spiritual intensity.

I don't see any solitude or empty space in Hopper's painting. I found more among the gentrified streets of the night quarters, as even the right-thinking citizens began going out in the evening.

So that, even the most famous and oldest neighborhoods had to be transformed into consumer showcases as the spontaneous gatherings of people in the square had to arrange themselves into lines waiting to get their turn while the sound of the drums on the other side of the street was silenced by police sirens. It is a worry for me now, that the night is shattered by its sacred , timeless atmosphere, by its being an occasion of aggregation for lone wolves, and becoming an additional uncovering tool of the system, demanding clarity and respectability even from the darkest corners in the city.

My Website: https://openartimages.com/search/edward-hopper