What Do You See?
The
paintings, "In a Cafe" also called "L'Absinthe,"
painted in 1852, by Edgar Degas, and
"Nighthawks,"
painted in 1942, by Edward
Hopper has many similarities while still being unique. At a
professional
level or an amateur level, art remains one of the major forms of human
expression, an artist
is trying
to communicate.
From
commercials with cartoon characters smoking cigarettes to magazine ads with
doctors recommending a certain brand of cigarette, tobacco has been enjoyed and admired by society
for decades until the advancement of medical science that now advises against the consumption of
tobacco products. In a café, a well-dressed man can be seen with a wooden pipe in his mouth and in the
painting Nighthawks, a billboard advertisement for Phillies, a type of cigar that still exists in a store
near you. The wooden tobacco pipe, In a café depicts, was a common device used to consume tobacco
in 1852. Considering all the ways one can now consume tobacco, the tobacco pipe has become a less
common method to use tobacco. This becomes clear in Nighthawks; the wooden pipe is now replaced
by a more modern and convenient method to use tobacco, the Cigar. The desire to consume
tobacco now consumes both eras. One method is just more modern than the other.
Dressing well has always been a luxury. From kings wearing gold to Gucci suits, money can
buy you the finest. The people in both paintings are dressed well, so to speak, from a lovely hat the lady
is wearing
in L-absinthe to the blue suit with a grey fedora, the man is wearing in Nighthawks.
The only
one not dressed luxuriously is the waiter at the diner in Nighthawks, he does not have the luxury to do
so. As he must tend to the patrons.
The couple in L-absinthe,
dress very nicely, as does the woman at the diner in Nighthawks, with
her bright
red dress. Both couples could very well be on a big night out. Someone could
question while
viewing
both paintings, “Is it their first stop or last stop?” That is the beauty of
such a capture, one that
can be
pulled directly from real-time. Both artists do this well in these paintings.
Both paintings are snapshots taken
of a social environment. Nighthawks takes place at a diner,
while L'Absinthe
takes place in a café. Coffee can be seen in Nighthawks while Absinthe
is being
served in
the painting In a café. The alcoholic beverage Absinthe was illegal in
the United States
because of
the toxic properties it contained. Until regulations on the measurement of
toxic herbs used to
create the beverage were put into place in 2007. Diners in the U.S.A around 1942, would
not be serving
up this drink. But in France in the year 1852, the toxic drink could be enjoyed regularly. The darkness
that surrounds the diner is illuminated by the bright, welcoming lights on the ceiling of the diner. The
light In a café comes from somewhere unseen, but it comes from in front o the couple in the painting
because their shadows can be seen cast behind them. The darkness from Nighthawks comes from the
structures that exist beyond the diner. They are vacant, not occupied late at night. Sepia tones bring
darkness to the painting L-Absinthe. These reddish-brown tones can be seen in the lady’s dress as well
as the booth, the couple is seated at.
The colors are bright and vivid in Nighthawks.
From the countertops to empty shelves across the
street of
the diner, vivid colors are seen on the buildings and sidewalks, illuminated by
the diner light.
The colors in L-absinthe are dark, muted, and hazy, even with all the light colors that are seen
throughout the painting cannot overcome the haziness of the matte colors that make the painting look
heavy.
In a café adds more weight to
the heaviness of the overall painting when observing the focal
point. The look of despair on the woman’s face could tell a story all on its own. It is haunting, much
like the emptiness felt when being alone in a crowded room like the late-night atmosphere of
the diner in Nighthawks. The diner has a bigger group of people than the café, yet both paintings
display an equal amount of loneliness. The blank silent stares from the customers in the diner shadow
the sad haunting stare of the lady in the café, both appear to be waiting for something. The lady looks
to be waiting for the attention of the man as he fixes his gaze elsewhere. Each patron in the diner waits
in silence. Waiting for anything to break that silence.
Human expression is a vital tool we
use to connect to one another, in person, photographs,
through
motion pictures and art. A smile has no language barrier, nor does a frown. The
human
expression
is our greatest form of communication with each other. Human existence has been
expressed
through art for an exceptionally long time. Art that can be found on cave
walls, inside the
tombs of kings and from all corners of the earth, in this way, various parallels can be seen in art
depicting human expression, while remaining distinctive. The artist can connect with an observer
and communicate directly through the art itself. What do you see?
