a few weeks ago, they asked I write an article on a painting by Hopper and one of the Nighthawks and I, as an excellent researcher, went to find out. Since it is generally known or at the very least, learn by experience, that in order to appreciate a painting one must know its history as well as the artist and above all the context in which he painted it. Art is definitely an universal thing, that transcends time and space, which makes it accessible even over the course of hundreds of years. The meanings change, along with how society and the world evolve and what used to be clearly seen, perhaps decades later, is no longer evident. What was not considered before is now revealing our work in a totally different manner.

Re-meaning a work through time

It’s a little like the scene I see when you view the work of Hopper’s ” Nighthawks” that was shut at the bar late in the night, in that window, which resembles a fish tank, in the location of the characters that are observed.

I believe that , in the painting Hopper would have wanted to provide space for the viewer to allow him to look at the silent tranquil, precise and serene scene that we are presented by the darkness.

This space, conceived for an active viewer could be the keystone that allows the work to change throughout time and, consequently, to remain timeless, indestructible contemporary, and contemporary.

The piece, which was created in 1942, isn’t immediately linked to a specific historical moment However, it is believed that the date of its creation can change with the change of the viewer, according to the exact time at the period in which the work is viewed.

In my opinion this is what is essential to reading, the time and space occupied by the observer that Hopper desired to create.

I’ll explain.

While researching information and news on Hopper’s ” Nighthawks” I was able be aware of how many people have described it , highlighting the following elements:

“[…] the loneliness, the sense of emptiness of an environment whose glistening patina is beginning to fade. […] The distinctly commercial character lies, the myths rip off their masks and reveal a displaced reality, without any valid reference points Isolated by doubt and unconscience. ”

Night and transformation

I think this interpretation is partial, that is, it is an interpretation given in the context of society and by the date that is attributed to the work: it was the United States between the 40s and 50s during the boom in economics that was redefining the social and cultural values in the life of people in a society that was even a bit bourgeois where nightclubs are viewed as places of solitude, despair and existential emptiness.

It’s true in a certain degree, and slightly not.

When I first saw this painting, and without having studied it, it gave me happiness and peace with its bright contrast and quiet nocturnal quality.

Perhaps, as a resident of a large busy and noisy metropolis, the night is one of the moments that I am able to enjoy the city more calmly with fewer people in the area and fewer vehicles as well as less noise. There are also more open spaces to choose, and where to stay , under the night sky that is starless. bald twitch emote is a different meaning for me than the people who drank in bars across the United States during the 40s When the sun sets down, the city transforms its appearance, and streets become more open and easy.

We must not forget how society has evolved through more than a half century of cultural and social changes. This is the case that occurred between Pop and Rock culture, and between the psychedelic movement as well as the decade 2000.

As a girl of the 90s, was also a night-time kid and by that I am referring to everything “formative” experiences that the night brought me. It is for me common to be out at night and walk through the streets, and on weekends, searching for the best party, dancing until dawn, riding a motorbike or car to locate the last bar that is open you can grab a hot pizza or croissant or hot pizza, and then where to sip the last glass of wine and light the last cigarette before dawn arrived. Perhaps from the 80s onwards, the night stopped frightening those who stayed at their homes (let’s take a look at the anti-prohibitionism movement, jazz music and even the notorious Cursed Poets who were all great nights owls) and has since become the cradle where many personalities of the world find tranquility and security of the other night hawks.

Hopper’s modern Realism

The painting of Hopper today reminds me of a variety of scenes from day life. It makes me almost satisfied and sympathetic, with the final three characters, who have a chat while the bartender is cleaning the bar to end the bar and begin a new. Those nocturnes seek rest in the silence of the nocturnal company, meditate on their lives observing their surroundings through a glass, and gather as a tribe of the night, welcoming everyone and judging no one. It’s no accident that in the most ancient primitive civilizations like the Indian one the time between midnight and sunrise is known as Brahmamuhurta or the time of Brahma, the best moment to commit yourself to prayer, meditation as well as study and reflection. In this time, the energy levels are higher, intense but of an ethereal, spiritual focus.

I don’t see any solitude or absence in the painting of Hopper. I found more among the gentrified streets of the night quarters, as even the right-thinking people started going out at night.

That’s why even the most popular and historic areas were transformed into showcases for the consumer as well as the spontaneous aggregations of people in the square were required to arrange their groups in line waiting to be seated to be seated; and the beat of the drums that played on the other side of the street was drowned out by police sirens. It is a worry for me now that nighttime is degraded by its sacred timeless atmosphere and by the fact that it is an opportunity for aggregation of the lone wolves, and is now an additional uncovering tool of the system, demanding clarity and respectability even in the most secluded corners in the city.