Nighthawks: A 1942 Oil On Canvas Painting By Edward Hopper

Nighthawks is a 1942 oil on canvas painting by Edward Hopper that portrays people in a downtown diner late at night. Many artists have produced works that allude or respond to Nighthawks. Hopper influenced many of the Photorealists of the late 1960s and early 1970s, including Ralph Goings, who evoked Nighthawks in several paintings of diners. Visual artist Richard Estes painted a corner store in People's Flowers (1971) with the shop's large window reflecting the street and sky. Nighthawks painting of a bright coffee shop in a dark town makes the painting seem lonely and despondent.
Nighthawks depicts a coffee shop as the focus in the painting. The coffee shop named “Phillies” is the only source of light found in the painting and takes up the majority of the space. The interior has hints of vivid colors including cherry red and blue, while the outside is a simple brown-yellow hue. Walls around the shop are a yellow color contrasting the other bright colors greatly. Green outlines the window sills. While the interior of the shop makes the painting seem bright and lively, those that are found in the shop look the opposite.

Four individuals can be found inside the shop: an employee, a couple seated together, and another man sat across from the couple with his back to the painting. Hunched behind the coffee bar is the lone employee. The man with his back to the frame and head angled down is shadowy and mysterious. The only female is in a red dress, and she sits next to a man presumed to be her spouse. Both men seated at the coffee bar are in suits and top hats. All of this is very traditional wear, indicating a 1940s-time period. There seems to be no conversation happening, as everyone is absorbed in their thoughts in the