Features

The world today is submerged in a thick and still atmosphere after a year of existing with the global pandemic. We are all present in a world of isolation, tension, and uncertainty, which can respectively be observed in Nighthawks by Edward Hopper – though, set in a different period, in 1942. The painting portrays a couple of people sitting in a downtown diner late at night, which is similar to our present-day social distancing practices. Hopper illuminates a forgotten and quiet scenery, which may guide us into illuminating the lonely and lost spaces of our own minds we experience today. 

To begin with, the harshness of fluorescent lights not only illuminates the diner but rather ignites it, and bleeds off onto the pavement and the sidewalk emphasizing abandonment and alienation – as the luminance would be blocked out or dimmed within a crowd. In addition to the illuminated pavement, there are also no signs of human footprint, being either a cigarette or piece of trash lying around. This creates a sense of eeriness, as if the city hasn’t been touched or disturbed for months, as the word “abandoned” often connotes a trashed and gritty place or environment. However, the fact that there is nothing, elevates the mystery that may cause the viewer to wonder if something extremely terrible and unexplainable may have unfolded in the city. 

The enigma and inexplicable emptiness in the city introduces the figures in the diner, as one may wonder how they even got there in the first place – if they walked to the diner, or just appeared out of thin air. The three figures that are dressed in formal clothing sit physically close to each other, but seem psychologically far apart. One may assume that the figures are purposely avoiding or ignoring each other, but rather, it reveals the struggles and trauma people were experiencing during the 1940’s during World War II. Referring to a song called ’Yesterdays (Junior Boys Remix)’ by Billie Holiday, the heavy reverb of the melody oscillates from loud to quiet, reminding me of the empty roads during lockdown. The song takes us for a nostalgic walk with someone longing for livelier and simpler days, creating a tone that resonates with Nighthawks — both bittersweet and captivating. Accompanying the sharp tune in Yesterdays, is a slow and mellow bass rhythm that also complements the drowsiness and late night of Nighthawks and its diners. However, one is left almost clueless of how quiet or loud it may be inside, and not to forget, the minds of the figures themselves. 

Hopper deliberately paints his subjects in both frontal and profile views to appear more natural and realistic in their environment. With no door to enter the diner, the viewer is left outside. We observe the diner and the figures from a distance, just like how we look at couples in general, and long for their happiness even though we don’t realize the struggles they may have. In contrast to the dark navy suits of the two men and crimson red dress of the lady, the employee or servant working behind the red mahogany counters is wearing a clean white uniform. The light hitting his left shoulder is one of the brightest spots in the painting, and creates a focal point for the viewer. This also adds weight to the composition, as it seems heavier on the most right, getting lighter with the red dress, lightest with the navy suits and eventually the weight disappears into the darkness outside. When viewed closely and on its own, the sharp reflective surfaces of the metal dispensers or kegs in addition to the white uniform hold rather industrial or medical connotations. This may remind us of hospitals, clean white uniforms and disinfected stainless-steel tools lying around, furthermore contributing to the clinical atmosphere in the diner. 

Contrast in Nighthawks is created through the saturation, brightness, and color of the buildings and subjects in their environment. Hopper highlights the mysteriousness and vast loneliness through the deep blues, creating a rather somber and cold atmosphere that recalls how the deeper you dive into the ocean, the darker it gets and the less you see. You can imagine that the further you walk into this city, the more you would be engulfed and lost in the abyss, leaving no trace of you behind. Contrast can also be observed in reference to the sounds and music I imagine would be in the painting. The complementary colors of mostly blue and orange, as well as green and red create a symphony in the painting, but one that is extremely quiet. If Nighthawks was composed into sheet music, the outside of the diner would be playing in pianissimo, meaning very quiet, and the inside would alternate between piano (quiet) and mezzo forte (moderately loud). 

Overall, Hopper creates such a simplistic scenery yet with so much complexity in its atmosphere. Living in the moment may seem like it may never end as we can’t keep 

up with every second. Our minds grasp onto individual thoughts, attempt to hold onto them, and as we dive deeper into a thought, we transition to another one — a process we call “thinking”. Hopper guides us through the current moments of loneliness and quietness as we observe the captivating environment of Nighthawks. Having absorbed the painting’s atmosphere through the luminance and space Hopper constructed, as well as the sounds I imagined, has illuminated a new found space in my mind. This enabled me to understand and realize that the moment is not eternal, and that we should not only accept but also appreciate and live it to the fullest even in times we feel like we can’t do anything. 

Anselm Wiethoff's critical essay won second prize in the Ninth Annual Humanities and Sciences Writing Contest. Anselm is a third-year Graphic Design major at the School of Visual Arts. He says:" I constantly swim with the tide no matter how far it pulls me into the ocean, as I am self-motivated and committed. Whether it is painting, designing, taking photos, writing, or playing an instrument, each undertaking is a unique experience for me."