Does anyone remember that old tv show “Name That Tune” where contests would bet they could name whatever tune the band would play/the singer was about to sing in so-and-so many notes, and tried to outdo each other until they had boxed themselves into almost impossible feats of auditory recognition? I mean identifying a song in only 3 notes! It could be anything. I guess the contemporary version of this competition is “Shazam,” where contestants try to outdo other teams and then test their skills against an A.I. computer.
Well, what about art? Viewing how much of a particular painting is necessary to identify it? And what are the important give-aways or clues? Can you name the title of the painting above, for instance? or do you recognize the artist? If you guessed Nighthawks by Edward Hopper you would be absolutely correct. Part of the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection, this iconic urban scene was painted by the artist in 1942 and purchased shortly thereafter. Telegraphing a sense of modern alienation and preoccupation, the painting depicts four restless “nighthawks” gathered at late-night joint, disengaged from one another and lost in their own thoughts, illuminated by artificial lighting and surrounded by a deserted streetscape. Clearly Hopper knew his way around an American story and how to construct an evocative mood - whether at a lonely diner in New York City or at an empty gas station down some windy rural road. And, his tell-tale use of perspective and dramatic lighting are 100% cinematic.
Maybe the question is not so much recognizing this work by Hopper, as playing a game of what comes next in its narrative. What do think occurs after this scene the artist has offered us?