The Persistently Modern and Elusive Beauty of Hopper’s Nighthawks

Throughout art academia, Edward Hopper is widely regarded as perhaps the most influential Impressionist artist of the 20th century.  Hopper has painted a large number of works and is most widely recognized for his work in oil paintings.  The painting I have chosen to discuss is entitled Nighthawk and was painted by Hopper in 1942.  Nighthawk is considered Hopper’s most famous work.  The painting features three customers at a diner and one bartender late at night visible through a wide glass window.  The diner is situated on an abandoned urban street, and the otherwise dark surroundings are lit up by the brightly illuminated interior.  

Understanding Impressionism and how it has led to Hopper

As Hopper is a painter who created his works in the style of Impressionism, it would help to understand the background of Impressionism in order to better identify and critique the standards which informed the beauty of Nighthawks.  According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Impressionism is a relatively modern style of art formed and popularized in the late 19th century.  Impressionism was first established in 1874 when multiple artists chose to form an autonomous collective separate from The Salon.  At this point in time, the Salon was the largest exhibition of artwork in Paris.  Judges from the Academie des Beaux-Arts selected paintings to be displayed and awarded prizes to ones they viewed as exemplary.  To become famous, an artist was almost required to have their artwork on display in the Salon.  However, aspiring artists such as Claude Monet, Pierre-August Renoir, and Edward Degas became disillusioned with the Salon as a result of their more experimental style of artwork constantly being rejected because of the conservative standards by which the judges measured art.  Thus they decided to organize a group of similar artists and formed an exhibition of their works.  

Impressionism was originally considered radical and drew controversy from many art critics at the beginning of its formation and conception.  In fact, Louis Leroy, the person who coined the term “Impressionism,” was actually a harsh critic of the exhibition.  He wrote a caustic review of the exhibition upon its opening in 1874, heavily criticizing the artists and their artwork on display.  Leroy described how the artworks were repugnant and enraging and, perhaps most significantly, particularly criticized Monet’s piece Impression, Sunrise, contending that, “A preliminary drawing is more finished than this seascape!” (Leroy)  Many art critics felt similarly about the emergence of this new campaign of artwork and ideals.  However, many other critics and casual citizens began to embrace the Impressionist style of artwork and the exhibition was quickly established as a massive success. 

Certainly, the styles of Monet, Renoir, and Degas were quite different from the popular art of the time.  Impressionist artwork is characterized by brighter colors as well as less complete brushstrokes.  The colors are more vivid and flamboyant than the traditional style of painting.  Furthermore, the erratic and less defined brushstrokes give more of an abstract and less grounded feel to the paintings. These factors contribute to a more incomplete and unpolished feel.  Hence, the title “Impressionism” was used to mock this style of paintings because they looked like sketches or unfinished paintings, which were termed as “impressions.”  

Equally important as the divergence from the stylistic and technical conventions of artwork were the shifts in the motivations and message behind the paintings.  Previously, art had been just as much about the religious, historical, or moral themes as the image.  Famous pieces displayed in the Salon or recognized through history almost always held some type of symbolic reference or meaning.  However, the Impressionists began to deviate from this common principle of holding overarching philosophical themes throughout their artworks.  Many of the Impressionists began to focus more on the world around them and how they viewed their surroundings.  They began to paint scenes or moments they experienced which they felt connections towards.  For example, Claude Monet, perhaps the most renowned Impressionist, painted scenes from nature throughout the vast majority of his work.  Others such as Renoir and Degas chose to paint instances of their social environment and people around them, such as a fashionable luncheon between members of the societal elite or an elegant moment during a ballet class.  

Impressionism represented a shift to painting what an artist observed and how they interpreted their world.  There was not necessarily always a political or religious message behind paintings, and artwork became more open to interpretation.  The rigid rules of the old were cast off for the freedom and individuality of the new.  The pioneers of Impressionism such as Monet paved the way for future artists such as Edward Hopper to paint more for the purpose of observation than message.  Artists, critics, and even common citizens inexperienced in the field of art began to recognize the existence of aesthetic pleasure in everyday scenes and pure observation.  Ultimately, Impressionism represented a modernization of artwork which would influence how the painters of the future chose to express themselves.  

Beauty in Nighthawks

As Edward Hopper’s most famous painting, Nighthawks has been the subject of countless analyses and criticisms. Primarily, Nighthawks seems to appeal to its audience because of the universality of the image.  Although most Americans have never, and will never, encounter the exact diner and street the painting depicts, the scene remains strikingly familiar to those who view it.  Nighthawks is viewed as a timeless piece despite having been painted in 1942 as a result of the design choices by Hopper.  Although the street may seem unfamiliar, the experience of a dark and deserted street late at night is one which remains universal.  Although the style of the diner and the attire of the waiter may be outdated, the sensation of an isolated and near empty restaurant is one that is still widely familiar almost 80 years later.  

Perhaps even beyond these specific situations, the reason Nighthawks can remain such a modern painting is because of the feelings these scenes evoke.  The desertion of the street can more broadly be recognized as an indicator of loneliness.  From the view of the audience, one is looking into the cafe from outside, where none of the patrons nor the staff seem to be aware of what is beyond the diner.  Furthermore, there is no sign of entrance to the diner, further separating the viewer and the subjects.  This sense of loneliness can be quite pervasive yet difficult to specifically pinpoint and identify.  One article from the Artsper Magazine categorizes the loneliness depicted as a type of urban “alienation.” (“Artwork Analysis: Nighthawks by Edward Hopper”)

Beyond the separation between the viewer and the subjects of the painting, another analysis by Kelly Richman-Abdou in My Modern Met also notes the isolation between the single man and the male and female customers.  Although physically they are close together, it seems that the people in the painting are mentally distant from one another.  The patron whose back is turned against the viewer is isolated from the other patrons as well as the waiter, and it seems unlikely that either he or the other figures would strike up a conversation with one another.  Furthermore, the waiter seems engrossed in his job and by the postures of the two patrons facing the viewer, it seems unlikely that he is socializing with either of them.  Although the man in the fedora sits near the red-haired woman, their relationship remains ambiguous.  They are not touching one another, and don’t appear to be focused on each other. Instead, the woman seems focused on her sandwich while the man idly contemplates while smoking a cigarette.  In fact, this man seems to be one of the primary reasons for the name Nighthawks.  Edward Hopper and his wife, Josephine, kept a journal which would include all of Hopper’s sketches as well as some notes about the details.  In the entry for Nighthawks, Josephine notes describe the man using the terms, “Man night hawk (beak) in dark suit, steel grey hat, black band, blue shirt (clean) holding cigarette.”  Perhaps the reason why he is described as a night hawk is because of his slender, long nose which Josephine describes as a “beak.” (edwardhopper.net)  Although Hopper has painted these figures in the same diner, many are able to sense a feeling of isolation or separation between each person in the image.  

Another main subject of analysis is the use of light in Hopper’s painting.  The contrast of the illumination inside the diner and the gloominess of the exterior is notably polarized.  However, Hopper lessens the severity of this contrast by displaying how the light flows from the building into the streets.  According to a deep analysis by Elena Martinique of Widewalls, Hopper was incredibly attentive to the way light was portrayed and how it reflected or illuminated certain features.  The lighting of Nighthawks has gained significant recognition because of the way it enhances the mood and evokes a sense of isolation from the outside world.  Clearly Hopper’s attentiveness to detail in regards towards light pays off as it creates a scene which is immeasurably more real and evocative.

Throughout these countless elaborate deconstructions of Nighthawks, it is important to keep in mind Hopper’s background as an Impressionist.  Although many derive a sense of loneliness or urban alienation, Hopper himself stated that he did not intentionally try to depict symbols of such emotions when he painted the piece.  Hopper merely chose to paint a scene he found meaningful.  In doing so, Hopper admitted that, “unconsciously, probably, I was painting the loneliness of a large city.” (edwardhopper.net)  However, this realization stems organically from Hopper’s pure observations, which is partly what makes him such an exemplar of the Impressionist style.  Perhaps the beauty of Nighthawks is derived from the fact that there is no correct way to feel about Hopper’s painting.  His piece largely succeeds in the evocation of human emotion, but does so in a supremely natural way which allows  the viewer to disagree if he or she desires.  Whatever the case may be, Nighthawks has established itself as a true American masterpiece and will likely be viewed with such respect for years to come.

Works Cited

Christoforou, Marie, “Artwork Analysis: Nighthawks by Edward Hopper.” Artsper Magazine,blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/artwork-analysis-nighthawks-by-edward-hopper. Accessed 30 September 2020

“Early Impressionism Criticism.” Useum, useum.org/exhibition/curated/Impressionism/Early-Criticism. Accessed 30 September 2020

Hopper, Edward, Nighthawks. 1942. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Art Institute of Chicago, artic.edu/artworks/111628/nighthawks. Accessed 29 September 2020

Martinique, Elena, “What Makes the Edward Hopper Nighthawks Painting so Recognizable?” Widewalls, 30 September 2018, widewalls.ch/magazine/edward-hopper-nighthawks-painting. Accessed 1 October 2020

Murphy, Jessica, “Edward Hopper(1882-1967).” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, June 2007, metmuseum.org/toah/hd/imml/hd_imml.htm. Accessed 30 September 2020

“Nighthawks.” Art Institute of Chicago, artic.edu/artworks/111628/nighthawks. Accessed 1 October 2020

“Nighthawks, 1942 by Edward Hopper.” Edward Hopper, “Nighthawks (Painting).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 August 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighthawks_(painting). Accessed 29 September 2020

edwardhopper.net/nighthawks.jsp. Accessed 30 September 2020

“Pictorial. Louis Leroy’s scathing review of the First Exhibition of the Impressionists.” ArtHive, arthive.com/publications/1812~Pictorial_Louis_Leroys_scathing_review_of_the_First_Exhibition_of_the_Impressionists. Accessed 30 September 2020

Richman-Abdou, Kelly, “Unraveling the Emotional Depth of Edward Hopper’s Modern Masterpiece ‘Nighthawks.’” My Modern Met, 27 August 2020, mymodernmet.com/edward-hopper-nighthawks. Accessed 1 October 2020

Samu, Margaret, “Impressionism, Art and Modernity.”  The Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 2004, metmuseum.org/toah/hd/imml/hd_imml.htm. Accessed 30 September 2020

Zapella, Christine “Hopper, Nighthawks.” KhanAcademy, khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/american-art-to-wwii/social-realism/a/hopper-nighthawks. Accessed 1 October 2020