
Edward Hopper’s painting “Nighthawks” is commonly regarded as his most famous piece of work. Hopper was known for creating large oil paintings that featured urban or rural settings, and “Nighthawks” is no deviation from that style. The painting shows customers sitting at the counter of an all-night diner with a server behind the counter.

In order to understand Hopper’s work of art, one must first simply take in what is shown to the audience on the most simplistic level of analysis. By this method the viewer should just gaze at the the artwork and see what is presented in the painting without making any deeper analysis or jumping to conclusions about the message of the painting. “Nighthawks” is a painting that features a two buildings. One is depicted in the background of the artwork, and is not at all the focal point of the painting. The other building appears to be some sort of diner or restaurant that is constructed with a large window where the “action” so to speak, of the painting takes place. Looking into this building, we see that there is a counter with several stools, some drinking glasses, salt and pepper shakers, two machines that look like they are used for coffee, and a door in the back of the building. In this diner there are also 4 individuals that we can see. One man has his back to the viewer while he is sitting on a stool. His head and neck are tilted downward, and the top of his head is covered by a fedora looking hat. Two other individuals are seated at the counter of the establishment as well. They are a man and a woman and they appear to be at least acquaintances, based off their body language and how closely they are sitting together. The woman appears to be looking at her hand or finger nails, while the man she is with seems as though he is engaging in conversation with the last individual in the painting, the worker of the diner. It seems as though it is during nighttime or early morning as the light from inside of the diner is quite apparent and noticeable while it radiates outside onto the sidewalk. The last piece of visual information that this painting gives the viewer is the writing above the diner that says “Phillies”. Next to it the words are partially cut off but they appear to say “America’s No. 1 Cigar” and the cigar is listed as five cents.

The first emotions provoked from this painting are those of tranquility, yet after looking at the artwork for an extended period of time other emotions such as restlessness, uneasiness, and loneliness begin to take over. This is due to the fact that the first thing in the art that our eyes are attracted to is the man sitting by himself at the counter. The man has a mysterious presence. He protrudes that vibe that he does not want to be bothered instead of being lonely. It almost appears to be dangerous to approach him and make conversation. The man and the woman seated next to each other look as though they are in an affair or engagement. The woman is wearing a red dress with red hair while eating something from her hand. It is important to note that no wedding ring can be seen on either one of her hands, and neither is one to be seen on the male’s hand next to her as he is only holding a cigarette. This gives off the implication that perhaps these two are having an affair with one another and have retreated to the diner during the long hours of the night as a safe haven for their promiscuous behavior.

The most important and remarkable characteristic of this painting is Hopper’s usage of his light source. The light that is emitted from the diner provides clarity into this establishment as the viewer witnesses the scene from the outside, but also creates the emotion that this work of art attempts to evoke. It puts the viewer in the shoes of an onlooker from the street; someone that has no idea who these people are or what their business is that requires them to be in a diner late at night, but by capturing this scene we are subconsciously drawn to our own conclusions about who these individuals are. The lack of any apparent entrance into the diner creates separation of the scene and the viewer because of the large glass window that surrounds the building. This adds to the mystery of the painting because even if someone was on the sidewalk passing by this establishment, they could not hear any sound due to the window, so the communication between individuals inside is unknown.

“Nighthawk” by Edward Hopper is one of the most recognizable pieces of art of the 20th century for good reason. The painting is beautiful to look at, with Hopper using simple shapes and lightning techniques to convey a scene that is undoubtedly powerful and unique. The piece has been portrayed in numerous other medias of pop culture, and is so iconic even today that it truly is a special piece of art and a pleasure to gaze at.
