The Night Hawks Description

The Night Hawks Description

        The Night Hawks is a 1942 painting by American artist Edward Hopper. It’s an oil painting on a canvas and it has a size of 33 1/8 x 60 inches. The painting currently resides in Chicago, Illinois at the Art Institute of Chicago, where it has been since it was completed. The painting was later sold there for $3,000.

        The subject matter of the painting depicts four people in a diner late in the evening or early morning hours. There is a pretty woman with red hair in a stunning red dress that is sitting at the bar of the diner with a sandwich in her hand. To her left, there is another man, possibly the husband of the woman. He has on a black suit, black tie, blue shirt underneath, and a gray fedora on. He is probably a smoker as well, since he has a cigarette in his hand. Overall, the man in the portrait is well dressed. Another man is sitting across from the couple, also wearing a suit and a fedora. However, this man has on a lighter suit than the other and the viewer can only see his backside. He looks like he has a drink in his hand, possibly alcoholic since it is not in a coffee mug. Behind the counter, there is another man working as the bartender. He has on an all white uniform, including a white hat. The man has blonde hair and a rather pale  complexion.

        As for the store itself, it has a billboard above the diner advertising cigars saying, “Phillies only 5 cents.” Inside the diner, the viewer can see shiny metal coffee tanks toward the back of the room. The bar has a wood counter top with stools surrounding the diner. The diner walls are a very dull color, possibly white. The door to the back of the diner, where the kitchen would be located is a yellowish color. In the surrounding area, the viewer can see brick buildings across the street with windows and a closed store at the street level.

        Edward’s inspiration for this painting most likely came from a personal experience throughout his life. Perhaps, he has a memory of walking along a street very late at night and spotted some people in a diner going about their business after a long night. This painting could very well be from his memory. Another possibility is this painting could have come about by the media. It’s possible that Edward saw something on television or in a movie where the scene was similar to that of the painting. Finally, the painting may have came straight from the author’s imagination. Perhaps he had a dream, where he saw people in a diner late at night or maybe he was one of the men in the diner, preferably the one next to the pretty lady. All of these scenarios are a possibility about how Edward Hopper came up with the subject matter for this painting.

        Hopper chose to really bring out the lighting effects on all of the objects and people inside the diner. Even on the sidewalk outside, the viewer can see how the lighting inside the diner causes parts of the sidewalk to reflect the light from the diner. The lighting also brings out the silver color of the metal coffee tanks in the back of the diner. Judging from where the color is brightest, the main light is shining down from the ceiling right by the corner where the coffee tanks are located. The viewer can also see shadows on the two men in suits. These shadows are primarily caused because of the lighting in the diner and because the two men are wearing fedoras.