Analysis of Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks

Analysis of Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks

Works of art that reflects the idea of emotion of isolation, loneliness, and silence.

Figure 1. Edward Hopper, Nighthawks 1942. Oil on canvas. 30 x 60 in. The Art Institute of Chicago

The analysis of Edward Hopper’s artwork Nighthawks will focus on light, color, and lines to show that the works of art reflect the idea of emotion of isolation, loneliness, and silence.

Nighthawks is a 1942 painting of a bright open diner called Phillies. The diner is the only place open in the city block. There are just three customers spending their night and one server is working in the diner. None of the figures seems to be not making any conversation, but have some sort of eye contact. The restaurant is supposed to represent New York’s Greenwich Village where Edward Hopper grew up. Since painted Nighthawks diner scene has been widely recognized around the world because of how Hopper positions his audience as part of the figures.

There are two sources of light illustrated. The brightness of the interior of the diner illuminating to the exterior of the outside city world. Due to the two light sources, it gives a sense of time. The time of the day is somewhere between night into mid-night given the fact that the light of the diner exposes the store next door. Hopper purposely shines the register to show no one is there nor in the street. The figures sitting in the diner are the only ones awake giving a sense isolation. The light in the diner shines brightly on the four figures. The light on figure to the left only gives us details of him from the back showing loneliness. In contrast, it gives the face features of the male and female figure in the right. However, they may be seen to be together but do to the light we see closely to their posture that there is a feeling that they may not know each other bring a sense of isolation. Although, there are four brightly illumined figures in the room, there is a notion of silence.

Furthermore, Edward’s use of color highlights the contrast of light and darkness. He uses dull colors of dark green on the outside street corner and dark red on the buildings to show the darkness of the outside giving the viewers a sense of isolation. Whereas, the curved glass window of the diner displays light colors of yellow from the walls to introduce light to the outside world.  The diner is filled with warm colors such as the rows of empty cherry wood stools and counter tops compared to the complementary outside cool colors of greens and blues. By Hopper using these colors he captivates the audience closer. The hidden gem of color of them all that speaks the most is the white cash register in the store across the street. The cash register is the only part that is brightly lit and it is in white to show contrast. By doing so, he shows that no one is around the town doing daily errands such as shopping to display loneliness in the scene. Even in the women figure attire Edward uses color theory to speak to his audience. Red is an emotional intense color that represents passion, desire and love. However, in the scene the women figure makes no contact with the other male figures. The room is silent and so is her passion, desire and love.

Lastly, Edward Hopper focuses on two main line in his painting. The lines are easy and obviously shown. Hopper uses the Philies diner to create a high line and a low line. The curved of the glass diner makes a convergence point for the two lines. The lines helps guide the eyes from right to left of the canvas. For most readers it is unusual for the eyes to read from right to left, but this is a Edward Hopper style he does often. Since the lines lead to a corner that makes a road block feeling. It creates the eyes to rescan again of the interior of the diner looking more into what’s happening. The eyes pauses to the center of the plane created which is the two figures siting in silence. Once the eye looks for one figures it hops to look for another which tends to be the male figure sitting alone giving the isolation and loneliness theme.

All in all, Edward Hopper’s artwork Nighthawks shows that the works of art reflect the idea of emotion of isolation, loneliness, and silence. He did it by using color theory, lines to make a focal point and focused on the two sources of light sources to illustrate the emotions. From this, Hopper was able to give the audience room to immerse into the painting. As if there is a sense of being part of the figures with the emotion that Hopper has portrayed in the painting.