Edward Hopper's Nighthawks was completed in 1942 and captures the paradox of loneliness in urban life. Hopper's masterpiece is an existential crisis in its own right; where a group of individuals fall prey to the isolating stillness of New York City.

What was Nighthawks based on?

Noted Hopper biographer Gail Levin has said, "Nighthawks was inspired by Hemingway's short story 'The Killers,' which Hopper read in Scribner's magazine and liked so much when it first came out, that he wrote a fan letter to Scribner's.

Why is Hopper's painting called Nighthawks?

From Jo's notes about the painting, the 'Nighthawks' title refers to the seated man with the beak-like nose next to the woman. “Ed has just finished a very fine picture--a lunch counter at night with 3 figures. Night Hawks would be a fine name for it.