few weeks ago they asked for me to compose an essay on a painting by Hopper, the Nighthawks and I, as an excellent researcher, went to inform me. It is well-known, or at least is learn by experience, that to comprehend a painting one must know its history as well as the artist and, most importantly, the context in the which it was painted. Art is definitely something universal, transversal to both space and time making it readable over the course of centuries. The meanings are subject to change as society and the world change and what used to be seen clearly, possibly several years later, is no longer evident. What was never considered prior to now could be revealing the work to us in a different manner.

Re-defining a piece of work in the course of time

This is similar to the scene I see when you view Hopper’s ” Nighthawks” that was shut at the bar, late at night, in that window that resembles the inside of a fish tank, in the position of characters that are observed.

I believe that in the painting Hopper wanted to give space to the viewer, allowing him to observe the silent tranquil, precise and serene scene that we are presented by the night.

This space, conceived for an active viewer could be the keystone, which allows the painting to be reinterpreted throughout time and, consequently, to remain timeless, indestructible and even contemporary.

The work, created in 1942, cannot be immediately attributable to an exact historical moment However, it is believed that its dating is changeable with the change of the viewer, depending on the exact time at which the piece is seen.

I believe this is the most important aspect of reading, the time and space occupied by the observer that Hopper desired to create.

I’ll explain.

Researching information and news on Hopper’s ” Nighthawks” I was able to see how people describe it by highlighting these elements:

“[…] the feeling of emptyness of a world whose shimmering patina starts to lose its luster. […] The distinctly commercial element of the myths is that they peel off their masks and reveal the world as a blurred reality, with no any valid reference points in the face of uncertainty and a lack of morality. ”

The night and the transformation

I believe this interpretation is partial which means that it’s an interpretation influenced from the socio-cultural context as well as by the dating associated with the work: the United States between the 40s and 50s during the period of economic growth that redefined social and cultural assets in the lives of individuals who lived in a society which is even a bit bourgeois where night bars are seen as places of solitude and despair, as well as a sense of emptiness.

malding is somewhat true and slightly not.

First time that I came across the painting without having studied it, it brought me happiness and peace with its bright contrast and nighttime stillness.

Perhaps, as a resident of the midst of a huge, noisy and bustling metropolis, the night is one of those times where I can enjoy the city with more peace: fewer people around and fewer vehicles as well as less noise. There are also more space between the streets to choose, and which place to rest under the night sky that is starless. The night is a different meaning for me than those who went to bars in the United States during the 40s When the sun sets down and the city is transformed into its appearance and the streets are more open and simple.

We cannot ignore how society has transformed itself in more than half a century of social and cultural changes, between Pop as well as Rock culture, and between the psychoedelic movement and the 2000s.

As a girl of the 90s, grew up also at night and by that I mean all the “formative” experiences that the night brought me. It is for me common to be out at night and walk around the neighborhood, and on weekends, searching for the most memorable party, dancing until dawn, riding a motorbike or car to locate the last bar open to grab the hot pizza or croissant or hot pizza, and then where to sip the last glass of wine and light the last cigarette before sunrise arrived. Perhaps from the 80s afterward, the night no longer from frightening those who stayed their homes (let’s take a look at the anti-prohibitionism movement, jazz music and even the Cursed Poets all of them perfect night owls) and has since become the place where many of the prominent personalities are able to enjoy the tranquility and security of the other nightclubs.

Hopper’s modern realism

Nowadays Hopper’s painting reminds me of a variety of scenes from modern life. It makes me almost proud and in any case sympathetic, with the final three characters, who have an exchange of words while the bartender clears the bar in order to conclude the day and then open another. Those nocturnes seek rest in the silence of their nightly companions. They meditate on their lives observing them through a glass and form a group of the night, welcoming everyone , and never judging anyone. It is no coincidence that in the oldest primitive civilizations like the Indian one, the time between midnight and dawn is called Brahmamuhurta, or time of Brahma, the best moment to commit oneself to prayer, meditation as well as study and reflection. This is the time of day when the energies are more acute as well as intense but with tranquil, spiritual intensity.

There is no solitude nor absence in the painting of Hopper. I saw more of it in the gentrified streets of the night quarters, since even the right-thinking folks started going out at night.

In other words, the oldest and most popular areas were transformed into showcases for the consumer as the spontaneous gatherings of people who gathered in the square were required to arrange themselves in line, waiting for their turn; and the music of the drums along the side of the street was drowned out by police sirens. It is a worry for me now, that the night is desnatured by its sacred , timeless atmosphere, by its being an opportunity for aggregation of the lone wolves, and is now an unintentional and productive element of the system, demanding transparency and respectability from the darkest corners within the cities.