Nighthawks - Edward Hopper

Night + brilliant interior of cheap restaurant. Bright items: cherry wood counter + tops of surrounding stools; light on metal tanks at rear right; brilliant streak of jade green tiles ¾ across canvas—at base of glass of window curving at corner. Light walls, dull yellow ocre [sic] door into kitchen right.

Very good looking blond boy in white (coat, cap) inside counter. Girl in red blouse, brown hair eating sandwich. Man night hawk (beak) in dark suit, steel grey hat, black band, blue shirt (clean) holding cigarette. Other figure dark sinister back—at left. Light side walk outside pale greenish. Darkish red brick houses opposite. Sign across top of restaurant, dark—Phillies 5c cigar. Picture of cigar. Outside of shop dark, green. Note: bit of bright ceiling inside shop against dark of outside street—at edge of stretch of top of window. source

One thing that sticks out to me, considering the dress (indicating around what year this picture is set in), the time of day/night, the location, is that no one is smoking.

the guy with the woman is holding a cigarette

for years (before I looked at the pic with my glasses on), I thought the woman was looking at cigarette smoke rather than the sandwich she's holding


I've always liked it. Like it even more now that I'm older and have had my own late nights in 24 hour diners.

I first saw this painting when my parents took me to Chicago's Art Institute in the early 1960's. I immediately connected with the painting's atmosphere. Most diners in the sixties looked like that and there are still some around today.

i've always been more intrigued by the empty store across the street, no window display, just a cash register on the counter