Notes

The Untold Secret To Hopper’s Nighthawks In Less than 5 Minutes
few weeks ago they asked I write an article about a painting by Hopper as well as the Nighthawks and I, as a good researcher, went to learn more. It is well-known, or at least is learn by experience, that to understand a painting, one needs to know its history as well as the artist and above all the context within the context in which Hopper painted it. Art is definitely something universal, transcendent to the space and time, and therefore readable over the course of many centuries. The interpretations, however, change, along with how the world and society change, and what previously could be easily seen, maybe decades later, is no longer evident. What was unthinkable before is now revealing the process to us in a completely different way.

Re-meaning a work through time
This is similar to the scene I see when you see Hopper's " Nighthawks", closed at the bar late in the evening, and in the window, which resembles an aquarium, from the position of characters who were observed.

I believe that in this painting, Hopper was trying to open up space for the viewer to allow him to observe the silent tranquil, precise and serene scene given to us by the dark night.

nighthawks painting , designed for an active audience could be the keystone, which allows the painting to be reinterpreted in the course of time, and to remain timeless, indestructible and even contemporary.

The work, created in 1942, isn't immediately attributable to a precise time period however it appears that the date of its creation can change with the change of the viewer, depending on the time in which the piece is seen.

In my opinion this is what is essential to reading, the space dedicated 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 starts to lose its luster. [...] The uniquely commercial character lies, the myths rip off their masks and reveal an unrealized reality, devoid of 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 partial and, therefore, it's a interpretation provided in the context of society as well as by the date that is attributed to the work: it was the United States between the 40s and 50s during the boom in economics that was redefining the social and cultural values in the lives of individuals who lived in a society which is even a bit bourgeois where nightclubs are viewed as places of solitude and despair, as well as a sense of emptiness.

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

The first time I came across this painting, and without having studied, it gave me lots of happiness and peace with its bright contrast and its quiet nocturnal quality.

Perhaps, as a resident of an extremely noisy and crowded metropolis, the night is one of the times when I can experience the city more calmly with fewer people in the area more cars as well as less noise. There are also more spaces between the streets to make the most of, and the best place to be, beneath the night sky that is starless. The night is a different meaning for me from those who went to bars in The United States during the 40s: when the sun goes down the city changes its appearance and the streets are more open and simple.

We must not forget how society has transformed itself over the course of more than half a century of social and cultural changes. This is the case between Pop as well as Rock culture, between the psychoedelic movement in the 1990s and 2000s.

Personally, as a child of the 90s, have also grown up at night and by "growing up" I mean all the "formative" experiences that the night brought me. It is for me common to be out after dark and walk through the streets, and on Saturdays , looking for the best party, dancing until the early hours while riding a motorbike, or car to locate the last open bar where to get the croissant or hot pizza, where to drink the last glass and smoke the last puff before dawn arrived. Perhaps from the 80s to the present, nightlife stopped in a way that scared those who stayed the house (let's keep in mind the anti-prohibitionism movement and jazz movement and even the notorious Cursed Poets who were all great night owls) and has since become the cradle where many personalities are able to enjoy the peace and comfort of other night hawks.

Hopper's contemporary realist style
The painting of Hopper today reminds me of numerous scenes from modern life. It make me feel happy and, in all likelihood, compassionate, especially with the final three characters, who have with the bartender as he cleans the bar to close the day and then open another. Those nocturnes seek rest in the solitude of the nocturnal company, reflect on their lives by watching them through a glass and form a group of the night, welcoming everyone , and never judging anyone. It's no accident that in the most ancient civilisations, such as the Indian one that the hour and a half before sunrise is known as Brahmamuhurta or the time of Brahma which is the ideal moment to commit oneself to meditation, prayer studying, and contemplation. In this space of time the energy is more intense as well as intense but with an ethereal, spiritual focus.


There is no solitude nor absence in the painting of Hopper. I also found it among the gentrified streets of the night quarters. This is because even the right-thinking folks started going out in the evening.

In other words, the oldest and most popular neighborhoods had to be transformed into showcases for the consumer as the spontaneous gatherings of people in the square were required to arrange themselves in line waiting to get their turn to be seated; and the beat of the drums along the the street was silenced by the police sirens. It is a worry for me now that nighttime is desnatured by its sacred timeless atmosphere as a moment of aggregation for the lone wolves, and is now an additional uncovering tool of the system, demanding clarity and respectability even from the darkest corners in the city.

Here's my website: https://blog.openartimages.com/2021/09/29/a-night-out-with-hoppers-nighthawks/