A few weeks ago, they requested me to write an article on the work of Hopper as well as one of the Nighthawks and I, as an experienced researcher, was able to learn more. Since it is generally known or at the least learn by experience, that in order to appreciate a painting one must know its history as well as the artist and most importantly the context in the context in which Hopper painted it. Art is certainly an universal thing, that transcends the space and time, making it is recognizable in the midst of hundreds of years. However, the interpretations are subject to change as the world and society change and what used to be easily seen, maybe years later, is no longer evident. What was unthinkable before now could be revealing our work in a totally different manner.
Re-meaning a work through time It's a little like what I think happens when you see Hopper's “ Nighthawks”, closed at the bar late in the night, in that window, which resembles the inside of a fish tank, in the same position as the characters he who were observed.
I believe that in the painting Hopper would have wanted to provide space to the viewer, inviting viewers to take in the quiet, detailed and calm scene that we are presented by the night.
This particular space, created for an active viewer could be the keystone that allows the work to be reinterpreted over time and consequently to remain timeless, eternal, modern, even very contemporary.
The painting, made in 1942, is not immediately attributable to a precise historical moment however it appears that its dating is changeable with the change of the viewer, depending on the exact time at which the piece is seen.
In my opinion this is the most important aspect of reading, the time and space occupied by the observer that Hopper wanted to create.
I'll explain.
In my research for information and news about Hopper's “ Nighthawks” I was able see how people describe the film by highlighting these aspects:
“[...] the feeling of emptyness of the world that's shimmering patina begins to give way [...] The distinctively commercial character lies, the myths rip off their masks and reveal a displaced reality, without reliable sources of reference , immobilized by uncertainty and a lack of morality. “
The night and the transformation I think this interpretation is a little ambiguous, that is, it is an interpretation given from the socio-cultural context and by the dating associated with the work that took place in the United States between the 40s and 50s during the period of economic growth that redefined cultural and social assets that were a part of the lives of individuals 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.
The first time I came across this painting, without having studied, it gave me lots of peace and joy, thanks to its bright contrast and its nighttime stillness.
If I'm from a large busy and noisy metropolis, the night is one of those times when I can experience the city with more peace there are fewer people, fewer cars, less noise, more spaces between the streets to appropriate, where to stay , under the night sky that is starless. Night has a completely different meaning for me than those who went to bars in America. United States during the 40s: when the sun goes down, the city transforms its face, streets become more open and simple.
We cannot ignore how society has transformed itself over the course of more than half a century of cultural and social changes, in between Pop as well as Rock culture, between popular psychedelic scene as well as the decade 2000.
Personally, as a child in the 90s, I grew up also at night and by that I mean everything “formative” experiences that the night provided me with. It is for me normal to go out after dark and walk through the neighborhood on Saturdays looking for the most memorable nightclub, dancing till dawn while riding a motorbike, or driving around in search of the last open bar where you can grab a bread or hot pizza and where you can drink the last glass and smoke the last cigarette before sunrise was set. Perhaps from the 80s to the present, nightlife stopped in a way that scared those who stayed their homes (let's take a look at the jazz movement, anti-prohibitionism and even the Cursed Poets all of them perfect nights owls) and it has become the place where the majority of people of society find the tranquility and security of the other night hawks.
Hopper's contemporary realism Nowadays Hopper's painting reminds me of many scenes of real day life. It make me feel proud and in any case sympathize with the three main characters who engage in an exchange of words while the bartender clears the bar in order to conclude the bar and begin a new. The nocturnes want to rest in the solitude of their nocturnal companions, reflect on their lives by watching them through a glass and form a group of the night, accepting everyone , and never judging anyone. nighthawks painting 's no accident that in the most ancient civilisations, such as the Indian one the hour and a half before dawn is known as Brahmamuhurta, or time of Brahma, the best moment to commit yourself to prayer, meditation as well as study and reflection. This is the time of day when the energies are more acute as well as intense but with tranquil, spiritual intensity.
I see no solitude or absence in the painting of Hopper. I also found it among the streets that were gentrified in the night quarters. This is because even the right-thinking citizens began going out at night.
That's why even the most popular and historic areas were transformed into consumer showcases as well as the spontaneous aggregations of people who gathered in the square had to arrange their groups in line waiting to get their turn while the sound of the drums on the side of the street was silenced by police sirens. Open Art scares me today because the night is shattered by its sacred , timeless atmosphere, by its being an occasion of aggregation for lone wolves, and becoming another uncover productive gear of the system that demands the highest level of professionalism and clarity even in the darkest parts in the city.