Scholars of the art world have spent uncounted man-years seeking the meaning and message from Edward Hopper's iconic painting "Nighthawks." Hopper was a well known smoker, but he also consumed many cups of coffee. And coffee is the key to understanding Nighthawks true meaning.
Edward Hopper's Night Hawk's - An allegorical painting in which 'coffee' is the answer.
Hopper's Nighthawks is an homage to coffee. It shows coffee as the answer to the darkness in the surrounding world.
When looking at the painting, the viewer's eye is drawn to the light of the diner and more importantly, the shining silver coffee urns. They are analogous to church tabernacles that hold holy scrolls or sacred relics. But in this case, they hold the elixir of energy- coffee. Hopper executed this as the country was heading into World War II. He knew there would be many late nights and that people would need to come together. And coffee would be a catalyst for that cohesion.
Now look at the server clad in white behind the counter who is the painting's focal point. He is hunched over as if he were bearing the weight of an angels wings. He is bathed in light and his server hat is his halo. This is rightly so, as the server is delivering the answer to the lonely, bored and purposeless supplicants seeking fulfillment. He veritably glows and emanates purpose and activity.
Note the door next to the urns. It represents a portal to the next chamber of life, a passage like the River Styx or the Pearly Gates of St. Peter. And to get to, and through that key portal, one needs to pass the all important coffee urns.
Moving outward, the three characters at the counter are dark and lack vitality. We see the dark back of one, making the lonely figure all the more pathetic. And a couple together, but not really engaged. Are they waiting for coffee to add meaning to their lives? If they were truly excited to be with each other they would not be in a diner at this hour. Note that the woman has raven hair and is wearing a red dress. She and her partner are seeking something more than the typical pleasures of the night. That activity has left them tired, spent and empty; seeking something more... They are waiting for something transcendent- Coffee.
Finally, we look at the broader surroundings we see that the light comes from the diner. It stands like a beacon to the community; offering companionship, purpose and most importantly, hot water that has steeped ground coffee beans. The diner is the source of all light. It beckons. "Come to me. I will fulfill your spiritual needs. It is dark outside, but light here. I give you community. Drink of my goodness. My angel will serve you. Later, in the morning I will teem with people." This is a place of goodness, humanity, companionship and caffeine.
I know this scholarly insight has nothing to do with Francis Quirk, but the painting needed this clarification. BTW- Francis Quirk frequently had coffee receptions at the Lehigh University Art Galleries.
