
Nighthawks, created in 1942, is one of the most well known Edward Hopper paintings. Edward Hopper began his training as an illustrator, but drew direction in style from his association with the Ashcan School, a group of American painters who depicted the mundane scenes of urban life. Several Hopper paintings, including Nighthawks, were widely influenced by the Ashcan School. Hopper also incorporated the cinematic techniques of film noir which include an extensive usage of shadows, lighting, and scenes contained by windows or doorways. This added to the American connotation of the painting. These influences, along with characteristics of French Impressionism, Postimpressionism, and Surrealism, concentrate the subject and create a very simple, focused painting. Hopper often appreciated works that used simple settings to communicate meaning (artic.edu). In Nighthawks, Hopper uses the manipulation of setting, spacing of subjects and materials, and focus of lighting to convey a sense of lonely isolation in American city life.

The first element that projects a sense of isolation is the setting. Upon initial examination, four individuals are seen in a street-corner diner at night. Hopper drew inspiration from "a restaurant on New York's Greenwich Avenue where two streets meet." (artic.edu). Large sidewalks and tightly packed buildings in the background indicate that the diner is located in an urban area. During the 1930's and 1940's, American diners would often stay open all night for workers and "night-owls", or a person who is particularly active at night. The nighttime is often considered a lonely time because most people are asleep, and away from the darkness. As a result the streets are empty and quiet. However in this scene these individuals are awake. Notice that the scene is split into interior and exterior. The window of the diner cuts off the stories inside the diner from the rest of the world. Although the window of the diner is clearly depicted, there is no indication of a doorway. This further indicates the isolation of the scene. Around the diner, there are no other individuals. The diner is the only active location in the entire scene, even though other establishments are clearly seen in the background. The four individuals in the diner are the only individuals seen in the entire painting. The complete lack of life outside the diner gives the feeling that these four people are the only people in the entire city. These details display a location that is normally an area of great business and life, but because of the alterations in time and number of subjects, the scene seems cut off and remote. 

The second element that conveys a feeling of lonely isolation is the space between the people and objects in the scene. One individual is facing away from the viewer on one corner of the counter, two are indirectly facing towards the viewer on another corner of the counter, and one is behind the counter. Based on the placement of the individual behind the counter, as well as his attire, it can be determined that the person behind the counter is an employee of the establishment. The other three individuals are presumed to be customers. The individual facing away from the viewer is completely by himself. He is not accompanied by anyone, and nothing else can be determined about this individual other than the fact that he is entirely alone. The other two individuals are near each other but they do not seem to be communicating with one another. They are not even looking at one another. Their line of sight points behind the counter. Notice the scarcity of objects within the diner. The items are few and far between. There are stools, a few coffee cups, and some sugar holders. Although these commonplace items seem to hold no significance, they are clearly seen. Even the bar stools have distance between one another. This usage of negative space, the space around an object, emphasizes the loneliness of the scene. 

The final element that conveys a sense of uncomfortable loneliness is the usage of lighting. The most obvious aspect of the lighting is the focus on the diner. The diner is illuminated from the inside. The fluorescent lighting, relatively new in the 1940's, projects a glow onto the unlit street corner (artic.edu). The subtle inclusion of unnatural lighting on a sidewalk conjures a feeling of discomfort and coldness. The diner is the only lit building in the entire scene.  More evoking than the inclusion of lighting is the exclusion of lighting in the scene. The lights in the background buildings are completely off. The only reason that the viewer can see the buildings is from the light of the diner. There are no identifiable qualities to the buildings. Items can be vaguely distinguished within the windows of the building to the left of the diner, but there are not enough characteristics to determine anything about the purpose of the building. Even less can be seen in the building visible through the windows of the diner. Due to this, the focus is kept on the diner. The events occurring inside the diner are completely trapped by the surrounding darkness. 

The city can be a very lonely place despite the great number of people. Every individual in the crowd has different circumstances. Due to the fast paced nature of city life, people are passed, forgotten, or not at all noticed. Faces blend into the crowd, and there is a lack of understanding, or care. Individuals in the city often find themselves struggling to make long term connections with others, so they resort to alone time. Despite the chaotic nature of the daytime in a large city, the late night accommodates for lonesome self examination.  Nighthawks captures these ideas beautifully. The implementation of setting nuances, sparse placement of subjects, and attention to lighting evoke an idea of urban solitude in American life. 

