“Sunlight in a Cafeteria” by Edward Hopper
“Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper
OPTION TWO
Look closely at these two paintings, “Sunlight in a Cafeteria” and “Nighthawks,” by Edward Hopper. Select one to write about and explain what makes it an interesting painting. Write at least 40 words (or more). What is the dominant emotion in the scene? What action is occurring? What is your prediction about the scene?
(You may click on the paintings or look them up on Google to see larger versions.)
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I chose the “sunlight in the cafeteria” painting. This painting is interesting because it shows just one man and woman sitting in an empty cafeteria. The woman is sitting there almost begging for the man to talk to her. Her facial and hand expressions show that she is lonely and shy. I think the man will talk to her.
Taylor, good job being the first one to write about one of the paintings! You have a neat interpretation of what is happening between the two people. What specific parts of the image suggest to you that the woman is “almost begging” for the man’s attention? You make some good observations about her body language. What can you say about their posture? Also, take note of what is NOT apparent in the painting. How would the scene be different if a third person were present?
I chose the “Nighthawks” painting. This painting is interesting because it’s late at night and everywhere but the restaurant is empty. Outside there are no street lights, people, or lights on in the building across the street. I feel like “Phillies” is the place where people go when they can’t sleep or they just feel lonely because there’s always someone there they can talk to. That is what I think the man that is sitting alone is doing. But, the two people across from him appear to be dressed up as if they were a couple. Maybe they went to get some coffee after their date or after work together. Also, they look comfortable like they often come to this place late at night. Also, there are a lot of empty seats at the counter. I think they are usually empty at night except the few late night regulars. This restaurant seems like it’s the little place that’s alive when everything else is closed.
Hi, Julia. Your interpretation of “Nighthawks” is upbeat, and you have a nice analysis of what may have brought the customers into the restaurant (or is it a diner?). I wonder whether other people will look at the painting differently. Do you think the customers at the counter will interact with each other?
Also, continue to look closely at all parts of the painting. What’s missing? And what do you think about the contrast between the brightly lit interior and the dark exterior?
It looks like the couple is more outgoing and talking to the worker while the other man is keeping to himself. Also there are no store signs across the street and nothing on the walls inside the restaurant. This leads me to believe that Hopper wanted to make this a generic situation and not a specific place.
I chose the picture “Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper. I decided to talk about this image because it is more pleasing to me, having the lightness of the building contrast to the quiet dark street. You can tell it is getting late because the building next to it is closed. It might be some kind of shop since there is a visible cash register but I am not to sure. It is possible that one of the people came from that building even. Inside the diner there are four people, three men and a woman. Two of the men are wearing suits suggesting they just came from work. The other man, being the chef, looks like he is trying to hold a conversation with the people he is cooking for. The chef looks like the only happy one as well. The woman has an uninterested face on and the man has more of a neutral expression. The people who came in match the street, quiet and uninteresting, while the chef looks like the diner, happy and lively.
– Taylor H.
I chose the “Nighthawks” painting and I think it resembles a lonely night in a lonely town. This restaurant on the corner at one point in time may have been the most popular place in town, but after a while the town went down the drain. The man working seems to be the only one there and is probably low on money. Even the walls in the back seem to be a little too plain. The man sitting alone seems like he has been at this place forever and comes almost everyday, and of course the man owning the restaurant gets a little company every now and then from a couple of people.
I chose the “Sunlight in a Cafeteria” painting by Edward Hopper. This painting is interesting because it shows emotion between the man and the woman. The setting is in an empty restaurant and the seating and tables look as if it’s a place where couples would go out together. But both the woman and man appear to be alone. I see a man who is admiring the woman’s beauty. The woman seems like she’s being flirty. Her head is tilted as if she is flirtatiously glancing at him in the corner of her eye. Out of all the empty tables, they sit across from each other. The man isn’t quite sitting straight so I think he’s attempting to get up and go to the woman.
I chose the “Nighthawks” painting. This painting is a classic. What I see in the picture is a local restaurant or diner where the local people come. In the picture, there is a couple sitting down talking and a man who is probably feeling down and needs some comfort. The worker looks pleased and happy. I think that this is a place where people go to meet all of their needs whether it be to get out for a little or to sit and think. I also think this picture represents how we as individuals always have a “place” we go for all of our troubles. We all have that “place” that we can rely on just like the customers rely on the restaurant and the worker.
I picked “Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper because it looks interesting. In this painting there is no one around, in the streets or anywhere else except for the four people in Phillies. It looks like this place could be one of those restaurants or diners that are opened all night for someone wanted to stop in and get something to eat or drink at whatever time in the day.
I chose “Sunlight in a Cafeteria” because it is a good example of human nature. Edward Hopper creates a solitary background, with a man and a women. As shown in the painting, they are not eating, despite the fact of being in a cafe. I believe Hopper attempted and succeeded at creating an ideal environment and situation to meet someone new. No distractions, no people, no noise, just them.
I chose the painting “Sunlight in a Cafeteria” by Edward Hopper. I find this painting quite interesting for many reasons. For example, I noticed that there are only two people in this cafeteria. To me, this seems odd because it is a cafeteria and you would expect to see more than two people sitting or enjoying themselves. The woman in the painting looks very reserved because of her body language. But, I think she also wanted to talk to the man sitting in the next table over because you can see her glancing at him nervously. Now, the man seems to want to talk to the woman as well. Because of the two people’s motions, I think the dominant emotion is hesitation. This painting clearly displays two people trying to break away from their shyness. The woman is playing with her hands and is trying to make eye contact so that she will catch his attention. But the man seems oblivious in a way because he is looking out the window. Even though he seems oblivious, I think he is aware of the fact that the woman wants him to talk to her. It’s kind of like he is playing it cool but is shy at the same time. I do think that the man will eventually give in and talk to the woman.
I chose the “Nighthawks” picture over “Sunlight in a Cafeteria” because it caught my attention more than the other painting. This painting seems interesting to me because the overall setting of the picture sets the mood for what is happening in the painting. I can infer from the mood of this painting and the fact that there are no lights or people in the street, that whatever is happening in the story it isn’t a very happy or exited mood. If it were then the area would be more lit up, there would be people walking around, and the picture would give you a different kind of feeling toward it. This painting has a very gloomy feel to it. I observed in the painting that there is a man sitting there alone, watching a couple who are spending time together. To me, the man looks sad and depressed, as if he were lonely and didn’t have anyone to spend time with
I chose the painting “Nighthawks” because it caught my eye where the window was across the street from the open shop. I noticed that “Phillies” is the only place open on the street and is also the only place displaying any type of light on the road. The silver tins could be holding some type of hot beverage, which gives a good idea the place, could be a type of coffee shop. The lonely man seems to be a regular customer because we cannot see his face, but the couple looks like they’re out on a stroll for the night but just happened to stop by. All of the customers seem to have similar clothing and styles, so they are probably on the same business salary. Another detail that called out to me was how the shop has no doors. The artist could be inferring that the corner shop has no way out. Hopper can also be cutting out the viewers’ perspective because we are shut out of the shop. The yellow door in the back looks like a restroom or an area for the bust boy to go.
In this painting, “Sunlight in a Cafeteria” there seems to be a dominant emotion of new hope. The woman in this painting seems to be shined upon by a bright hope for her future and seems content with this. Also she is dressed in a colorful and almost uplifting manner symbolizing her mood. In contrast to her, the man across from her is dressed in more of a darker suit with a grim, pale look on his face. However, this man’s mood might also be shown as changing due to the fact that his chair is tilted facing the woman and he almost looks enthralled with her.
WRITTEN BY KATE M.:
I chose the painting “Sunlight in a Cafeteria” because this painting portrays many emotions in this painting. The woman in this picture is in a purple casual dress but looks as though she is dressed up to meet someone. The male in the painting is staring out the window and looks very curious if what’s going on outside and maybe whether or not to converse with the woman. Both of these people’s emotions are showing the through their body language and facial expressions. In this picture there are two people sitting seperatly with no one around and that might end up to them holding a conversation. I think this because they look aroud the same age and if I were that woman I would be friendly and say hello to meet more people. I feel like this painting is very relatable to many people or will be relatable to them later in life. It’s normal to go out to grab a bite a resturaunt alone and meet someone there or while you are there you meet someone new. I am more curious about this painting because I question if they will acknowledge each other or if they will just go about their day. Overall this painting can be realatable but it also can lead to curiosity with the people’s thoughts and emotions or with the emptiness of the room and outside.
I chose to write about the painting “Nighthalks” because it interest me. It almost seams to give off a mysterious/curious feeling. This painting makes me wonder how the woman and man met if it is their first date, a business meeting, or possibly a couple out for a drink after a party. The man that sits alone at the bar also interest me, I wonder if he is meeting someone or maybe he has already met with someone and they left him at the bar. My prediction is that the man at the bar will meet with someone, a man, for a business arrangement. I think this is a logical scenario because he seams to be dressed quite nicely it seams that he has someone to impress with the suit and top hat.
I chose the painting “Nighthawks” because it tells a better story than “Sunlight in a Cafeteria”. The dominant emotion in “Nighthawks” is sadness. The lone man sitting with his back turned to the viewer seems like he had a long and rough night and the couple sitting at the other end of the counter look like theyre not happy with eachother. I think that the lone man is just there to pass the time and that the couple is there because everywhere else is closed. The man behind the counter looks like he is in a hurry to get their orders and then close up shop. The streetlight also sets the tone for the scene. I feel that it makes the painting more dramatic and puts the sadness aspect into play.
I chose “sunlight in a cafeteria” because it shows more of a story. The title reflects the painting not only because of the sunlight coming through the cafeteria but how the presence of one another seemed to brighten their moods. They both seem to be making eye contact and not ingnoring each other. Also it just being the two of them in the room means there attention would be drawn to one another.
WRITTEN BY CADE W.:
The painting “Sunlight in a Cafeteria” is a very quiet painting of two people in what appears to be a old 40’s style Cafe on a very sunny day, hence the name. One of the things i find most interesting about this painting is the absence of people on the street outside. No cars or passing pedestrians or cars. I imagine a ceremony of some kind and everyone who would normally be out and about is attending said event, except for a select few two of which are in this cafe. Although it may seem odd painting LOOKS quiet, there is a silence to the scene that does have a quieting feeling. It is as if the atmosphere is almost awkward. If one could imagine walking through New Your City and not hearing cars beeping or people talking or men working, I feel that would accurately depict the mood. Taking a closer look at the scene, the two people are very different in the way they are seated. The blonde woman seems curled in, and self contained to the point of anti-social for reasons unclear. The man however seems very open and is turning and lifting his hand as if he is going to make a hand gesture and say something to the very quiet woman. I do not understand why the woman is so quiet. The first reason that came to mind was that someone had promised to meet her there, but never showed. However, there is no withdrawn chair, or even a second tea cup to indicate that that is indeed the case. It is interesting to see how they are dressed as well. During the 40’s, it was casual to wear in public what might be formal in today’s lifestyle. Other than that, the painting is very serene and peaceful. If i were to guess anything would happen next, it would be the man standing up, and making his presence know to the woman, and to perhaps try to make conversation. Maybe he could start with how quiet it was.
The painting I chose was “Sunlight in a Cafeteria”. It shows emotions between the man and the woman. It seems like there for should be more people in this scene, because of their location. The man seems like he is noticing the woman but trying to not make it too obvious. Also, the woman is aware that the man is in the room but shes trying to make it seem like she doesnt care that he is around. Maybe there is a connection between these two people that we can’t interpret. Maybe they both are secretly wanting each others attention.