Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra

História de Artes

Edward Hopper: “Nighthawks”

Docente: Dra. Joana Rita Costa Brites

Discente: Clive Castro

Licenciatura em Estudos Artísticos

Ano letivo 2013/2014

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Index

Contents Index .............................................................................................................................................. 2

Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 3

Author biography .......................................................................................................................... 4

Contextualization of the work ....................................................................................................... 5

Work analysis ................................................................................................................................ 7

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 12

Bibliography/Webography/Videography .................................................................................... 13

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Introduction

My essay is about Nighthawks, 1942 by Edward Hopper. In this work I’m going to focus

on personal aspects about the author himself that will help better understand Hopper’s

line of work and analyze strictly the painting from what I have learned and researched.

My main goal on the work analysis is to metaphorically strip every detail of the painting

from what I have learned in History of Arts. The contextualization of this painting will

be based on historic events and the author’s perspective. Ending with a personal comment

about the work and my aesthetic experience. “If you could say it in words, there’d be no

reason to paint.” 1 One of Edward Hopper’s most famous quotations something that I

agree with the author, although I challenge this quote using a limited number of words on

the English dictionary I know that paint shall emerge victorious. The reason why I chose

this painting as said in my last oral presentation 15 years ago I was watching cartoons I

caught a glimpse of Nighthawks in a museum fascinated by a saxophone cover that

interpreted perfectly an American pub, I wondered what was so special about this painting

and thought that this essay would be the perfect opportunity to work on it and answer my

question.

1 Hopper, E. 2009. An Edward Hopper scrapbook [online]. [Accessed on 05/01/2014]. Available

at: http://americanart.si.edu/hopper/p26-news-1260.html

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Author biography

Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) born in New York in upper Nyack,

Hudson River.2 Edward Hopper is the most known American realist painter of the 20th

century.3 Raised in a middle class family that persuaded him to follow arts. He was a

promoting student and excelled especially at drawing. His parents, both interested in

culture and arts supplied young Hopper with resources such as books, magazines and art

materials. As a teen, Hopper was consider productive or prolific as he already

experimented with different materials like pen, charcoal, watercolour and oil. Later in

1899, Hopper finished his art training and later started working at the New York Institute

of art and Design. His early influences were the likes of French impressionists Édouard

Manetand and Edgar Degas. A fellow artist and Professor Robert Henri advised Hopper

to paint with emotion or with a point of view. This was perfectly evident in Hoppers

future works.4 “Hopper seemed to be drawn by the quiet beauty of anonymous urban

areas.”5 When Hopper finalized his formal education he traveled to France exposing him

to the art scene including movements such as Impressionism.6 Hopper gained most of his

success that he wished around 1920. That decisive point enabled him to dedicate a

melancholic and introspective style of painting that later persuaded him to create his first

impressionist works of art.7 In Hopper’s last years his work undervalued cited as

“illustrative” 8 due to the popularity of abstraction.

2 Hopper, E. 2014. Totally History [online]. [Accessed on 05/01/2014]. Available at:

http://totallyhistory.com/edward-hopper/

3 GRAHAM-DIXON. A.M. Art. 2008 "Sir Walken/ BlackWolf" publication: Dorling Kindersley editor:

Porto 4 Hopper, E. 2014. Totally History [online]. [Accessed on 05/01/2014]. Available at:

http://totallyhistory.com/edward-hopper/

5 Edward Hoppers New York (NGA). 2008. Senior Curator Franklin Kelly [online]. [Accessed on

05/01/2014]. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cNhbrb8P6k

6 BARTER, J.A, S.E. Kelly American Art. 2008. Publication: Art institute of Chicago editor: TERRA.

7 GRAHAM-DIXON. A.M. Art. 2008 "Sir Walken/ BlackWolf" publication: Dorling Kindersley editor:

Porto 8 GRAHAM-DIXON. A.M. Art. 2008 "Sir Walken/ BlackWolf" publication: Dorling Kindersley editor:

Porto

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Contextualization of the work

Illustration 1 - HOPPER, E. 1942. Nighthawks. Oil on canvas. Location:

Art institute of Chicago Illinois. 84.1 cm x 152.4 cm

Nighthawks is one of Hopper’s most celebrated and recognized paintings and one of the

best known images of the 20th century, Hopper began painting Nighthawks days after the

bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7 1941 the event that marked the United States

into the World War II. This was a time of huge anxiety especially for the USA. Through

this information we can deduce there is a certain pessimism about the war. Given its

carefully constructed composition it’s argued that Nighthawks has a timeless quality that

places the viewer in any particular time or place though this is also based in the

overwhelming lack of narrative. 9

9 BARTER, J.A, S.E. Kelly American Art. 2008. Publication: Art institute of Chicago editor: TERRA

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This painting is a nighttime view of a diner populated by four quiet figures caught under

the bright artificial and commercial light. The random and probably non communicative

figures seem as remote from the viewer as they are from each other. It’s interesting that

Hopper denied that he purposely infused in his painting symbols and paths of isolation

and loneliness. Hopper acknowledged that “unconsciously, probably, I was painting the

loneliness of a large city.”10 We can assume that part of this painting was made by his

subconscious thought and thus creating a brainstorm in various interesting

interpretations. Nighthawks another example of Hopper’s ability to represent emotion

through physical settings. Despite the presence of a few European influences in

Hopper’s paintings Nighthawks is purely American and is sometimes connected with

the movement American Scene painting. Such works of this movement were viewed as

an effort to undervalue modern abstraction because of its origins in Europe.11

Nighthawks was Sold to the Art institute of Chicago for 3000$ American Dollars and

has remained there ever since. Its dimensions are 84.1 cm × 152.4 cm type: oil on

canvas.12

10 BARTER, J.A, S.E. Kelly American Art. 2008. Publication: Art institute of Chicago editor: TERRA.

11 GRAHAM-DIXON. A.M. Art. 2008 "Sir Walken/ BlackWolf" publication: Dorling Kindersley editor: Porto 12 Hopper, E. 2014 Art institute Chicago [online]. [Accessed on 04/01/2014]. Available at: http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/111628

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Work analysis

Through my research analyzing critically Nighthawks has proven to be a difficult but an

interesting task most of my research is based on video documentaries, conversations

between Khan Academy's Dr. Beth Harris & Dr. Steven Zucker and Franklin Kelly senior

curator of American and British paintings. Some interesting detailed analysis found

online and the book American art from the art institute of Chicago. After I will analyse

the painting from what I have learned in history of arts and give my personal comment.

As I wrote before the painting is a dinner at the corner of the street at night time we can

clearly see that in the use of intense light, something I will focus on due to the

importance of its significance, in the diner we can see clearly four figures 3 men one

highlighted in white whom is the waiter and two wearing a grey suit one we can’t see

his face because he is facing backwards and the other looking at the waiter and a

highlighted women in red, we can see the location is clearly and urban space and there

is a significant focus on architecture.

As I said in my last oral presentation there is fascinating level of detail of this painting

and I would say a brilliant abuse of geometrics as we can see in the architecture, the

cylinder shape of the coffee urns, the table and the rectangular windows. Some

interesting facts that a metaphorically virgin viewer may not notice at first glance

something even I took a long time to notice. The name Phillies is not actually the name

of the dinner as you pay better attention it’s an advertisement of the brand of cigars that

is being sold for 5 cents, this mistake is often referenced in numerous movies and TV

shows for example “That’70s show” one of the cast Reginald Forman portrayed by

actor Kurtwood Smith quotes “Good old Phillies“13. Another interesting detail is the

lonely cash register across the street that is the only recognizable object that the dinner

itself does not possess that could be a reference to the economy of the United States

during the World War II period.

13 That ‘70s show episode 8 season 1, Drive in. 1998 Fox. 8/10

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The effort Hopper placed on the coffee urns you can actually see the amount of coffee

remaining on the straws.14 From what I researched coffee importation at that time in the

United States decreased, American merchant ships were bombed by German destroyer

ships. I deduced in this painting the amount of coffee is referenced to the lack of coffee

importation.

The salt and pepper shakers typical American consumerism, maybe Hopper’s criticizing

the American population abuse of toppings. We can see in this painting Hopper is

making an effort to place the viewer in an American lifestyle. It’s this attention to detail

Hopper “generalises”15 and places the viewer in a random time and place

Another interesting detail is the lack of an entrance, you can see windows attached to

the steel bars but no entrance. The lack of entrance places the viewer shut down from

the scene.16 The fact there is no door intensifies the sense of entrapment and alienation17

that the American population were suffering at the early stages of WWII. This painting

and many of Hopper’s paintings are usually seen as the notion of separation and in my

perspective after a deep analysis it’s mostly about separation.18 We can assume after

acknowledging historic contextualisation we can calculate based on the figures in the

dinner the dissatisfaction of loneliness and separation from their loved ones some

acquaintances or even family members may be absent participating or even refuging of

the consequences of war.

14 Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942. 2012. Conversation with Khan Academy’s Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker [online]. [Accessed on 05/01/2014]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j24uh8cZ3wA 15 Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942. 2012. Conversation with Khan Academy’s Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker [online]. [Accessed on 05/01/2014]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j24uh8cZ3wA 16 BARTER, J.A, S.E. Kelly American Art. 2008. Publication: Art institute of Chicago editor: TERRA.

17 Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942. 2012. Conversation with Khan Academy’s Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker [online]. [Accessed on 05/01/2014]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j24uh8cZ3wA 18 Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942. 2012. Conversation with Khan Academy’s Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker [online]. [Accessed on 05/01/2014]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j24uh8cZ3wA

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In terms of perspective the spectator observes the painting in a front perspective placing

the spectator directly walking through the street hearing his own footsteps focusing on

the diner and wondering what conversation is going on inside wondering why there is

such a lonely aura surrounding the figures. The form is certainly closed as reality closes

on itself there is no action, mainly presence purely static.

As for the lines the painting is clearly linear, we can see that in the extent of geometric

forms and figures there is no traces of pictorial properties.

Colour wise this painting is monochromatic as we can see the colour palette is limited to

red, browns and grey. What stands out in the dinner from the “discrete colours”19

surrounding it is the women in red.

In this painting the composition thoroughly relies on vertical and horizontal shapes.

However there is still a sharp diagonal created by the light as it curves on the corner of

the dinner.20 This strengthens the vulnerability of the figures that are trapped within the

diner.

The light is a matter of great importance in this painting and is something that should be

analysed with strong detail. In my view the light in this painting acts not as a symbolic

or divine form, there is only one source of light found in the painting which is artificial

its located on the ceiling of the diner but the light bulb is not visible, I would say it’s a

florescent light based on its intensity and the area it covers. It’s more a light reflecting

emotion. It amplifies and intensifies the feeling of isolation of the figures.21 It somehow

works as a prison you can see it illuminates well the dinner projecting dynamic shadows

in the dark street. This dark contrast makes the view instantly focus on what is going on

inside the dinner.22

19 GRAHAM-DIXON. A.M. Art. 2008 "Sir Walken/ BlackWolf" publication: Dorling Kindersley editor: Porto 20 Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942. 2012. Conversation with Khan Academy’s Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker [online]. [Accessed on 05/01/2014]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j24uh8cZ3wA 21 Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942. 2012. Conversation with Khan Academy’s Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker [online]. [Accessed on 05/01/2014]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j24uh8cZ3wA 22 GRAHAM-DIXON. A.M. Art. 2008 "Sir Walken/ BlackWolf" publication: Dorling Kindersley editor: Porto

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After analyzing the painting from what I have learned in History of Arts I want to focus

on what is going on inside the dinner. We see as I stated before four figures 3 men and a

highlighted women in red. Looking at the painting we wonder immediately what are

they talking about and what is going on around that negative energy. We can see the

waiter is glancing firmly at one of the men in grey suits, there is no form of narrative

going on. There is no possible way of interpretation of the man sitting alone since we

cannot see his face but we can assume there is no presence of satisfaction only

disappointment and sadness it can be assumed he is feeling the absence of someone he

lost in these stages of war.

About the couple in the corner there is no reference if they came together or if they

know each other or they met in the dinner. We can see the woman’s hands clearly and

no sign of a wedding ring the only thing clear in her and is an unidentifiable object. And

the man sitting next to her we can see his right hand holding a cigarette but his left hand

is hidden under the counter it’s not sure if he is doing it on purpose or if it is a

coincidence of events. All we can see is a repentance atmosphere around the diner.

Except the waiter based on my esthetic experience is just working late hours. The

figures are formally dressed for a late night drink at the dinner and we can assume that

they will be there passing time for a while. The women in red though I would say is the

dominant figure of the painting. She is the only figure with a warm color besides the

reflections of the walls from the artificial light. She is wearing a distinctive red dress red

being a color of passion, desire and energy this makes her interpretation even more

difficult Hopper painted her with such intensity and focus so that the viewer would pay

most of his or her attention on what was going on around her. The figure is sort of a

magnet that the viewer projects his vision directly into her action mostly looking

passive, the passiveness of her actions creates a wave of interpretations that it’s not

possible to create an accurate conclusion. That would probably be Edward Hopper’s

trademark and the significance of generalization.

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Personally based on my first esthetic experience Nighthawks is a work of art first time I

had a glimpse of it I thought it was a simple dinner with four people enjoying a nice

dirty martini at night, being at home doing nothing would be such a bore and enjoying

and listening casual conversations between random strangers would be a nice way to

end another night. And why not dress all fancy to make yourself look and feel better to

pass a good night out. Now after from what I have learned my esthetic experience has

changed drastically now there is so much to tell about this painting just by knowing the

time it was created. At first the lack of expressions may point out to a limited

interpretation but no it’s Edward Hoppers generalization that makes us experience this

painting in an unlimited number of ways. A masterpiece is what I would call it although

masterpiece is a very complicated concept to explain.

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Conclusion

To conclude one of my major goals is to show that having a historical background may

aid in a better induction and interpretation of the painting. Little did I know now 15

years since the first time I gazed upon it, the importance of this painting in American

culture and that its interpretation would be so rich and dynamic. I deduced the goal of

this work was to further prepare me to create better esthetic experiences and the

importance of references in further dissertations. It was and amazing experience

researching and learning about Edward Hoppers Nighthawks and through my research

acknowledging other great American works of art. I would like to thank Dra. Joana

Brites for the opportunity to work on this project and its future evaluation.

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Bibliography/Webography/Videography

BARTER, J.A, S.E. Kelly American Art. 2008. Publication: Art institute of Chicago editor: TERRA.

Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942. 2012. Conversation with Khan Academy’s Dr. Beth Harris

and Dr. Steven Zucker [online]. [Accessed on 05/01/2014]. Available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j24uh8cZ3wA.

Edward Hoppers New York (NGA). 2008. Senior Curator Franklin Kelly [online]. [Accessed on

05/01/2014]. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cNhbrb8P6k.

GRAHAM-DIXON. A.M. Art. 2008 "Sir Walken/ BlackWolf" publication: Dorling Kindersley editor:

Porto.

Hopper, E. 2009. An Edward Hopper scrapbook [online]. [Accessed on 05/01/2014]. Available

at: http://americanart.si.edu/hopper/p26-news-1260.html

Hopper, E. 2014 Art institute Chicago [online]. [Accessed on 04/01/2014]. Available at:

http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/111628.

Hopper, E. 2014. Totally History [online]. [Accessed on 05/01/2014]. Available at:

http://totallyhistory.com/edward-hopper/.

That ‘70s show episode 8 season 1, Drive in. 1998 Fox. 8/10.