Edward Hopper Nighthawks Analysis

This paper looks to define and explore three books which are a crux to various food histories which in the last decade has become a scholarly journey as food history is becoming increasingly studied as a scholarly endeavor by historians where previously it was not seen in such a scholarly light. The three texts which are going to be examined are: Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food by Jeffery M. Pilcher, The Invention of the Restaurant: Paris and Modern Gastronomic Culture by Rebecca L. Spang, and lastly To Live and Dine in Dixie: The Evolution of Urban Food Culture in the Jim Crow South by Angela Jill Cooley. Each of these books seek to redefine how people see their perspective topics whether it be Mexican identity rooted in cuisine, the evolution of southern food in a racially divided south, or even the concept of the restaurant emerging from a revolutionary culture. These texts bring awareness to various topics which have both social, cultural, and economic stigmas associated with them.

The average American citizen has a higher risk of dying from heart disease than from a gunshot, all because of one thing. Fast food swept the nation after its first known creation in 1921, bringing a whole new era of food that would make The United States one of the most unhealthy nations in the world. “Killer Fries” by Greg Slater was created for the American Heart Association to show the effects that fast food has on the heart of an individual. Slater creates a sense of unease by portraying the familiar object to the fast food eaters of America and exaggerates the effects of what it can do to a person with vibrant shining colors and a startling image that appeals to its viewers.

The All-American meal takes more out of Americans to make then at first glance. Eric Schlosser’s book Fast Food Nation delves deep into the intricate workings of the fast food industry to expose mistreatment and cruelty towards workers in the business, just as Upton Sinclair had done in the early 1900’s regarding the meat packing industry. Schlosser is able to bring light to the darkness behind the All-American meal through extensive research and personal confrontations of which he has high regards for.

“The Nighthawks”, by Edward Hopper is a unique form of art for the time period (1942) that it is based in because it is a very natural oil painting. Along with this piece of art, there is another significant oil painting done by the artist Edouard Manet called, “Corner Of A Cafe-Concert” (1880). These paintings both symbolize a restaurant setting during the time in which they were created but in doing this they have different structures based on what was happening around them during their time periods.

In Vincent van Gogh’s renowned painting, The Starry Night, the vast night sky dominates the background space of the painting. The brightness of the eleven stars, with their yellow celestial glow illuminate the night, blanketing the sleepy, rural village below. Far from the glaring lights of the urban landscape, the pureness of the stars’ radiance floats effortlessly above, lulling the people of the quaint village to sleep. Hovering in the upper right hand corner is a brilliant orange crescent moon, which contributes to the warm mood and aesthetic value of the piece. Mountains, rolling hills and wheat fields surround the cottages as though nature itself is getting a sleepy respite from a long day, much like the townspeople. Toward the forefront of the painting are

The Nighthawks by Edward Hopper shows you the inside of a dinner. The use of color gives the dinner a since of warmth, but coldness at the same time. The buildings outside of the dinner are very dark, lonely, and deserted. The buildings feel very cold. Inside you will notice the people. The dinner worker is surrounded by a dark counter. He feels very much separated from the other dinners. You see that he is only a worker and a stranger, but the use of color shows him as friendly. The other dinners there show very lonely faces, and very dark clothing. They seem to be unfriendly. No one is looking at each other. You can tell from their focus and body language that is no relationship between any of them. They feel very lonely. The dinner is sparsely decorated. You only see the people sitting around the dark bar. You also notice that there is no door. The outside world is not meant to enter this dinner. Everything about this painting explains isolation. Everything is cold and

In Eric Schlosser’s 2001 piece, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, he examines the rise of the fast food industry in the 1950’s as it was associated with the rampant consumerism of the era and shows how this led to the fast food industry becoming one of the most unethical, manipulative, and greedy industries that ever existed. Schlosser shows how fast food corporations, through mass appealing advertising, were able to manipulate consumers, especially young generations, into buying their products. Children were made the targets of advertising campaigns because these corporations knew that they were the most gullible audience. The 1950’s were filled with consumer trends in which buyers went after products that they believed to be popular and wanted to have the same things as everyone else. Corporations knew that they would have a very easy job in luring consumers because many other products and services had become trend setters in the 1950’s, so consumers would line up to buy fast food if it was presented as being “modern” and “trendy” in a sense. This paper will detail how consumerism and advertising played a large role in constructing American cultural identity during the post-war era.

Edward Hopper, who represents arguably the zenith of the 20th century, American Realism and the 19 century artist Vincent Willem van Gogh both painted vibrant and expressive paintings during their time. In 1942 Hopper created the piece “Nighthawks” and Van Gogh created “Café Terrace at Night”, also known as The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum which was created in mid-September of 1888. Both of these compositions were painted using the same Oil on canvas medium. Both painting even have a similar setting one set in a diner the other at a Café but, both painting wanted to convey a different feel or tone. Looking closer at both works we see that, the line, shape, texture, and color allow us to recognize the difference between their styles,

Bernard Cooper the author of a short essay titled “Burl’s”. Burl’s is an autobiographic story of himself when he was about 8 years old and starting to learn all the differences and fine lines in the world. The essay starts out as a young boy seeing everything as it’s portrayed to be and not what is actually there. Cooper describes everything he sees from the restaurant’s name and chrome appliances to the waitresses brown uniforms. There are many themes and messages, and the theme that I deemed was most important will be discussed and analyzed throughout this paper. Bernard Cooper conveys hidden identity within everything through his use of description, imagery and symbolism. The main symbol he uses is the restaurant “Burl’s” itself.

April 10, 2013 I seated myself in a booth with my back faced to the wall. It was here that I had an ominous view of the Galleria food court. With pencil in hand, and notebook ready, I began taking notes on the many observations I noticed in the three hour window that I sat and “people watched”.

The diners were extremely popular, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner. They were elegant, with stainless steel and neon lights brightening the street. Families of ALL classes gathered here, rich and poor. If they were not at diners, then Americans were most likely to be found at drive-ins, that were also very popular. Drive-ins resembled car-hops, in the way it took its fun environment, and mixed it with great food service.

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser is a nonfiction book that examines the effects of fast food on society and this mind map attempts to illustrate the important details. This media mind map was created by hand with construction paper, paint, printed words, and actual packaging from various McDonald's products. The font of the words is simple as the novel raises serious issues that require a level of professionalism. The colours I chose are like the ones you find in a McDonald’s restaurant to engage the audience and make them feel as if fast food is really in front of them. The overall goal of the layout and colour scheme was to replicate what would be seen on a tray from a popular McDonalds combo with a burger, fries, and a drink.

Back in 'the day,' the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, brusque short-order cooks, hotsy totsy waitresses, and a rainbow of customers, engaged in small talk and the serious business of devouring homestyle food, congregated at the all American diner, also known as a luncheonette, lunchroom, sandwich shop, café, coffee shop, snack shop, burger joint, lunch counter, greasy spoon, or hash house.

Nighthawks, was painted in 1942 by Edward Hopper (1882-1967) an artist who was known as “a great master in the ranks of America realists.” (Levin, Gail) Hoppers paintings were first hung in “retrospective in 1933, Hopper played host just three years later to the first major show of surrealist art in New york.” (Levin, Gail) Hopper grew up in Washington Square, and lived there for most of his life. “ Hopper excelled in creating realistic pictures of clear-cut, sunlit streets and houses, often without figures.” (Levin, Gail) “He offers a brand of realism not bound to reality, and the places he depicts are familiar and foreign, comfortable and disquieting,” said the USA Times. The painting resides in the Art institute of Chicago. Nighthawks just like many of Hoppers paintings give a feeling of loneliness, and isolation as well as a feeling of darkness due to the dark hues. The picture leaves the viewer with thousands of words and interpretations with a third person view of an isolated man as he sits in a small parlor and ponders. The painting was created in 1942, which took place during the time of the great depression.

The New York Times bestseller Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is one of the most riveting books to come out about fast food restaurants to date (Schlosser, 2004). Fast food consumption has become a way of life for many in the United States as well as many other countries in the world. The author Eric Schlosser an investigative reporter whose impeccable researching and bold interviewing captures the true essence of the immense impact that fast food restaurants are having in America (2004). Beginning with McDonald’s, the first fast food restaurant, which opened on April 15, 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois to current trends of making fast food a global realization McDonald’s has paved the way for many fast food