In his iconic painting, Nighthawks (1942), he represents the city diner at night with four figures and a waiter, surrounded with a brightly lit interior The mood of the painting depicts a sense of weariness and disconnection, echoing the wartime anxiety felt among the society Since the painting was done soon after the Japanese bomb attacks, it sensed the feelings of fear and unhappiness among the most Americans during that time It represents the postwar America, where Hopper insists that the individual were suffering isolation within the society However, this notion of Hopper’s paintings received a critical reception among the contemporaries as they argued that the society was emerging into an era of cultural optimism and national prosperity However, the painting evokes a sense of nostalgia among the modern-day viewers, subtly stressing on the modern world “Despite its surface beauty, the world in the painting is one measured in cups of coffee, imbued with an overwhelming sense of loneliness, and a deep desire, but ultimate inability, to connect with those around us” (Zappella, n d)
Received on Sun Nov 29 2020 - 01:08:38 CET