A few weeks ago, they requested I write an article on the work of Hopper and the Nighthawks and I, being an excellent researcher, went to find out. Because it is known or at the very least, learn by experience, that to understand a painting, one must know its history and the painter, and most importantly the setting in which he painted it. Art is definitely an universal thing, that transcends both space and time making it readable over the course of many centuries. The interpretations, however, are subject to change as society and the world change and what was once able to be easily seen, maybe years after, is not so obvious. What was never considered prior to is now revealing our work in a different manner.

malding -defining a work over time

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

I believe that in this work, Hopper wanted to give space to the viewer, inviting him to observe the silent serene, well-detailed and peaceful scene presented to us by the dark night.

This space, conceived for an active audience may be the most important element that allows the artwork to be reinterpreted throughout time and, consequently, to be timeless, immortal contemporary, and modern.

The work, created in 1942, is not immediately attributable to an exact historical moment However, it is believed that the date of its creation can change with the change of the viewer, depending on the time in which the work is observed.

I believe this is the key to reading, the time and space occupied to the reader Hopper was hoping to create.

I’ll explain.

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

“[…] the solitude, the feeling of emptyness of the world that’s shimmering patina starts to lose its luster. […] The uniquely commercial essence, the false myths take off their masks and show a displaced reality, without valid points of reference in the face of uncertainty and a lack of morality. ”

The night and the transformation

I think this interpretation is partial which means that it’s an interpretation influenced by the social context and by the date attributed to the work of The United States between the 40s and 50s, during the period of economic growth which redefined the social and cultural values in the lives of the people who lived in a society which is even a bit bourgeois, in which nightclubs are seen as places of solitude, despair and existential emptiness.

It’s a little true, but somewhat not.

When I first came across this painting, without having studied, it gave me a lot of peace and joy, thanks to its vibrant contrast and quiet nocturnal quality.

Perhaps, as a resident of an extremely noisy and crowded metropolis, the night is one of those times where I can enjoy the city more calmly there are fewer people, fewer cars and less noise, more space between the streets to choose, and which place to rest under the starless urban sky. Night has a completely different meaning to me than the people who drank in bars across America. United States during the 40s as the sun’s path down and the city is transformed into its appearance and streets become more open and simple.

We cannot ignore how society has changed over the course of more than half a century of social and cultural shifts, that occurred between Pop and Rock culture, and between the popular psychedelic scene as well as the decade 2000.

As a girl of the 90s, I was also a night-time kid and by that I am referring to every one of the “formative” experiences that the night gave me. For me , it’s common to be out at night usually walking around the neighborhood, and on weekends, searching for the best nightclub, dancing till dawn, riding a motorbike or car to find the last open bar where to grab the hot pizza or croissant and where you can drink the last glass and light the last cigarette before dawn came. From the 80s and to the present, nightlife stopped from frightening those who stayed their homes (let’s not forget the anti-prohibitionism movement and jazz movement and even the cursed Poets who were all great evening owls) and it has become the place where many of the prominent personalities of society find the comfort and peace of other nightclubs.

Hopper’s contemporary Realism

The painting of Hopper today reminds me of many scenes of real modern life. It make me feel proud and in any case compassionate, especially with the three main characters, who have a chat while the bartender clears the bar in order to conclude a day and open another. The nocturnes want to rest in the silence of their nocturnal companions, contemplate their lives, watching them through a glass . They gather as a tribe of the night, accepting everyone , and never judging anyone. It is no coincidence that in the oldest ancestral civilizations such as the Indian one the half hour before sunrise is known as Brahmamuhurta, or time of Brahma, the best time to dedicate oneself to prayer, meditation, study and introspection. This is the time of day when the energies are more acute and intense, but they are of an ethereal, spiritual focus.

I don’t see any solitude or empty space in Hopper’s painting. I found more among the streets that were gentrified in the night quarters, since even the right-thinking folks started going out at night.

That’s why even the most popular and historic areas were transformed into consumer showcases; and the spontaneous aggregations of people who gathered in the square were required to arrange themselves into lines waiting to be seated; and the music 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 the night is desnatured by its sacred , timeless atmosphere as an occasion of aggregation for individuals, and by becoming an unintentional and productive element of the system, demanding the highest level of professionalism and clarity even in the darkest parts within the cities.