Notes

Malding Like Brad Pitt
few weeks ago they asked I write an article about the work of Hopper, the Nighthawks, and I, as a good researcher, went to find out. It is well-known or at the least taught by experience, to understand a painting, it is necessary to know the history of the painting, the author and most importantly the setting in the which it was painted. It is surely something universal, transcendent to both space and time and therefore accessible even over the course of many centuries. The meanings are subject to change as society and the world evolve and what used to be easily seen, maybe several years after, is not evident. What was not considered before, today could reveal the process to us in a different manner.

Re-defining a piece of work in the course of time
This is a bit like the scene I see when you look at Hopper's " Nighthawks", closed at the bar, late at late at night, with that window that resembles the inside of a fish tank, in the same position as the characters he who were observed.

I believe that in the painting Hopper would have wanted to provide space to the viewer, inviting him to look at the silent, detailed and calm scene given to us by the darkness.

The space, designed for an active viewer may be the most important element that allows the artwork to be changed throughout time and, consequently, to remain timeless, eternal and even contemporary.

The painting, made in 1942, cannot be immediately linked to a specific date, but it seems that the date of its creation can change according to the changes in the viewer, according to the moment at the period in which the work is viewed.

In my opinion this is the key to reading, the time and space occupied to the reader Hopper was hoping to create.

I'll explain.

While researching information and news on Hopper's " Nighthawks" I was able see how people describe the film by highlighting these aspects:

"[...] the feeling of emptyness of an environment whose glistening patina begins to give way [...] The distinctly commercial element of the myths is that they peel off their masks and show a displaced reality, without any valid reference points , immobilized by uncertainty and lack of conscience. "


The night and the transformation
I think this interpretation is not complete which means that it's an interpretation influenced in the context of society as well as by the dates that is attributed to the work of the United States between the 40s and 50s, in the period of economic growth that redefined social and cultural assets in the lives of the people in a society that was even a bit bourgeois, where night bars are seen as places of isolation or despair.

It's true in a certain degree, and somewhat not.

When I first saw this painting, and without having studied it, it brought me joy and peace, with its bright contrast and its nocturnal stillness.

If I'm from an extremely noisy and crowded city, night is one of the moments where I can enjoy the city in a more peaceful way: fewer people around more cars, less noise, more space between the streets to appropriate, where to stay , under the starless urban sky. The night has a very different meaning for me than those who frequented bars in America. United States during the 40s: when the sun goes down and the city is transformed into its appearance, and streets become more open and easy.

We must not forget how society has evolved in more than half a century of cultural and social changes. This is the case between Pop and Rock culture, between psychedelic movement in the 1990s and 2000s.

Personally, as a child of the 90s, I was also a night-time kid, and by growing up I'm referring to all the "formative" experiences that the night brought me. For malding , it's common to be out in the evening and walk around the neighborhood, and on Saturdays , looking for the most memorable nightclub, dancing till dawn and riding around on a motorbike or driving around in search of the last bar that is open to grab the hot pizza or croissant, where to drink the last glass and light the last cigarette before sunrise arrived. Perhaps from the 80s onwards, the night stopped from frightening those who stayed their homes (let's not forget the anti-prohibitionism movement and jazz movement and even the notorious Cursed Poets who were all great evening owls) and has since become the place where the majority of people are able to enjoy the tranquility and security of the other nighthawks.

Hopper's contemporary realist style
The painting of Hopper today reminds me of many scenes of real contemporary life, and makes me almost proud and in any case sympathize with the three main characters who engage in with the bartender as he cleans the bar to close the day and then open another. People who are nocturnal seek peace in the solitude of the nocturnal company, meditate on their lives observing them through a glass . They form a group of the night, accepting all and not judging anyone. It's not a coincidence that in the most ancient civilisations, such as the Indian one that the hour and a half before sunrise is known as Brahmamuhurta, or time of Brahma, the best time to devote oneself to meditation, prayer, study and introspection. This is the time of day when the energies are more acute, intense but of tranquil, spiritual intensity.


I see no solitude or emptiness in Hopper's painting; I found more among the streets that were gentrified in the night quarters, as even the right-thinking citizens began drinking in the evening.


In other words, the most famous and oldest areas had to be turned into consumer showcases as the spontaneous gatherings of people in the square had to rearrange themselves in line waiting to be seated; and the music of the drums that played on the other side of the street was slowed by police sirens. That scares me today, that the night is degraded by its sacred timeless atmosphere and by the fact that it is an opportunity for aggregation of individuals, and by becoming an unintentional and productive element of the system that demands clarity and respectability even in the darkest parts in the city.



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