AES84 Nighthawks

“People are feeling alone together, in their lighted ship against the darkness of all that was yet to come”

Nighthawks is a painting completed on January 21st 1942 by Edward Hopper, a prolific painter in the realist style. The date in which this painting was done is important because of the historical event that happened just several weeks before, the bombing of Pearl Harbour, and the subsequent consequence of America joining the World War. This general feeling of dread and fear permeated the country. Faced with impending war and trepidation for the future, what else is there to do? But try to enjoy the peaceful time we have left before it all can be taken away in an instant.

Even though I myself have never been to an American style diner, the imagery depicted in this painting evokes strong familiar feelings within me. It depicts a quiet night in New York City, and it shows the diner from the perspective of a bystander, possibly someone crossing the road or just passing by on the street. From this perspective we get this beautiful portrait of a moment in time, where it feels warm, calm and comforting, and yet at the same time, feels far away, lonely and disconnected. 

There’s only one source of light in this painting, and it comes from the inside of the diner. Making it stand out like an oasis in the desert. The main character, it seems, is the diner itself. Bathed in warm light, it bleeds over to the outside through the windows, giving us a clear view of the people inside, as if it was an aquarium. There’s something to be said about the meaning of windows in Hopper’s works, it represents a blurred connection between the inside and the outside world. We can see past the glass windows, but we are still separated from each other, because the transparency hides a barrier still. And in Hopper’s works, the windows are always perfectly transparent, as if they’re not there at all.

There are four people present in the diner. From their body language and expressions, it seems like they are bored, lonely and a bit tired. Their relationship with each other is ambiguous, are they strangers? Or are they estranged? They are the only life to be found in the dark of night, being alone, together.

Edward Hopper’s style of realism paints an ideal grounded in reality, but still carries a great amount of depth and emotion when you really look into it. Nighthawks is a wonderful work of art that really captures the feeling of finding solidarity and comfort in our shared sense of loneliness.

“Yes they’re sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it’s better than drinking alone” -Billy Joel, Piano Man-