Night Hawks 1942

Attracted to the Impressionists‘  (e.g., Paul Cezanne, Claude Monet, Edouard Manet) emphasis on light and thematic treatment of architecture and nature, Edward Hopper abandoned his previous work that emulated the dark interiors of the old European masters (e.g., Francisco Goya, Caravaggio, El Greco, Diego Velazquez) to begin painting with light and quick strokes.

Hopper’s famous 1942 painting Nighthawks, created during the dark, early days of U.S. involvement in WWII, has often been interpreted as representative of the feelings of many Americans during this period. In a year when many young men were sent off to the armed services, and the entire country was caught up in the war effort, a feeling of loneliness was not uncommon.