Art Analysis: Nighthawks By Edward Hopper

The piece of art I chose from this chapter is the oil painting Nighthawks by Edward Hopper. Created in 1942, Nighthawks depicts a lonely, all-night diner with three seated customers as well as one worker (Artic). The piece itself gives off isolated and empty theme; this is largely due to Hopper’s use of space and color. The aforementioned diner is the only light source within the painting, leaving the an eerie, fluorescent glow on the surrounding outside area (Totally History). Nighthawks’ historical context relates back to the Great Depression era (Kleiner 936). Rather than strictly referring back to the Great Depression, Hopper chose to focus of the effects. Therefore, Nighthawks serves as a depiction of American life in the 1940’s (Totally