The Art Of Wine
/One of history's greatest pairings? Wine and art. They go together like Cabernet and steak. In fact, not just wine but drinking culture as a whole has been a prominent feature of some of the greatest artworks of our time. In the Art of Wine, we look at some of these artworks and their significance to us, the drinking class.
Edward Hopper's Nighthawks
I love this painting. It was the first piece of art that ever moved me to purchase it. After I first saw it, I went to my local poster store a bought a print that hung in my bedroom for most of my teenage years and into my early 20s. My wife, realizing my affinity for the painting and its symbolism, recently bought me a copy for my office. I have spent hours of my life staring at it and trying to figure out what is going on and how I fit into this scene.
The Characters
There are four people in this cafe, and I am going to make some assumptions here because, well, like wine tasting, this is what I experience in this painting even if the experts see different.
I have always thought that the two people at the bar are in the middle of a struggling relationship. Not a heated argument per say, but more of a long slow drawn out decline. It's in their body language. Close but not touching. Together but distant. Staring off into space in contemplation. Who hasn't been there right? Sitting at a bar trying to figure it out. Is this still worth it?
Next is the man behind the counter. He is young and fresh looking. Eagar to serve. Happy to get you a cup of coffee, pour you a beer, or mix you a cocktail. He is the quintessential barman of the hotel bar. I'll bring you whatever you want, I'm just glad you're here. I can totally relate this guy. Anyone who strives to be a great host can relate to this guy. One of the essential elements of the drinking class is a bartender who is knowledgeable and excited to help.
Lastly, there is the solo man. Today this guy could very easily be stopping in for a quick drink while staring at his iPhone, but not in this painting. He is seemingly without any of the entertainment tools of the solo man in a solitary moment; i.e. no newspaper or briefcase etc. To me, he is the guy at the end of the bar. We all know that guy. The guy who is at home at the bar. The place he feels most comfortable. The man who finds comfort in the bartender who knows him, a pleasant conversation with a stranger, and the loud bar noises blending into a dull hum. Every drinking establishment worth visiting has one of these guys tucked away at the end of the bar just waiting for someone to walk in off the street and pull up the stool next to him.
The Bar
The cafe bar is my favorite element of this whole painting. The place is so incredibly well illuminated. It's like whomever or whatever is going on inside of this cafe is on stage. The centerpiece of a performance. There is nothing there to take your attention away from the people inside. No door, no electric signs, no artwork. It exists solely as a platform to show us these different elements and how they come together to form all the components of the bar (minus the obnoxious drunk of course). There is also a stark contrast between the colors inside the cafe and the dark and ominous street that awaits you when you leave. I can't help but hear it screaming "Hey! Come in here where it's warm and safe!" As citizens of the drinking class, we are familiar with this welcome.
The Drinking Class
Nighthawks is a statement piece of art for those of us that enjoy the social elements of drinking because it's so relatable. We have all been these characters at one time or another. We understand them individually and know the simultaneous sense of community and isolation that is ever present in this painting. That's why I will always struggle to find where I fit when I look at it. I could be any one of them or none at all. What I do know is that I will be back. The fifth person in this scene pulling up that stool at a cafe some point soon, smiling at the friendly bartender and ordering a glass of wine. I'll look over at the man sitting alone and ask him what "what's good here?" or comment on the weather. I'll ponder the couple and what has happened between them? Mostly I know that I'll be happy to be back amongst you, my friends of the drinking class who were captured perfectly by Ed Hopper.
A View From An Art Historian
The people at NerdWriter have done an exceptional review of Hopper's Nighthawks in the video above, focusing on the artist, the painting, and the world at the time it was painted. We hope you enjoy their take.