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Edward Hopper: Nighthawks

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This poem was placed 1st in the "A BRIAN STRAND 1093" contest sponsored by Brian Strand (Judged 20th April 2022)

'Nighthawks' is a 1942 oil on canvas painting by American artist Edward Hopper (1882-1967)

his distant still palette
of ambient light
painted the silence
of hawks in the night

catching a sadness
that hides in plain sight
in an air of detachment
that hints at their plight.

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Linda Alice Fowler

Date: 4/9/2025 7:53:00 AM

Great painting and his style perfectly captured in your words. Congratulations Gary! :)

Gary Radice
Date: 4/10/2025 10:06:00 AM

Thanks Linda. I saw a Hopper exhibition at Tate London in 2004 and have been bowled over by his work ever since. Thank you for your lovely comments. Cheers - Gary

Gail Debole

Date: 3/13/2023 2:12:00 PM

Another thought-provoking poem. Just found this in your list. I've always been a Norman Rockwell fan, but I have now become interested in Edward Hopper's paintings...thanks to you!

Gary Radice
Date: 3/13/2023 2:25:00 PM

Great to hear Gail, thank you. I wrote a 4th Hopper ekphrasis in October last year here at PS: Automat. It goes without saying that I just love his work. :) Cheers - Gary

Bryan Norton

Date: 5/22/2022 7:18:00 AM

Hi Gary, This is one of my favorite Hopper's. Your thought-provoking poem is poignant to read. Your rhyming is very good. Another winner. Happy day, Bryan

Gary Radice
Date: 5/22/2022 12:00:00 PM

Thanks Bryan. This has to be my favourite painting full stop. His pictures are almost incomplete stories. Cheers - Gary

Sara Kendrick

Date: 4/2/2022 4:57:00 AM

Congrats on this winner in Brian's contest. Way to go. I like the rhythm and flow in the poem. It is very descriptive and expressive. Sara

Gary Radice
Date: 4/2/2022 11:58:00 AM

Thank you Sara. I just wish it flowed as well as Hopper's artistic brush but I can dream. :) Thanks again. Cheers - Gary

Bill Baker

Date: 3/15/2022 3:06:00 PM

Excellent poem to accompany this fine painting. Nostalgia allows for one to experience introspection of a past moment or time. Just like in a well-written poem, there's much hidden in plain sight. Enjoyed the read, Gary. Write On! Bill

Gary Radice
Date: 3/16/2022 2:29:00 AM

Thank you Bill. You are so right regarding nostalgia. I referred to it as a lens in the poem as I think this scene (and many of Hopper's paintings to be honest) look like they have been lifted from a movie. Cheers - Gary

Brian Sambourne

Date: 3/13/2022 7:16:00 AM

Another strong, poetical image that captures nature's freedom but with a melancholy hinge. A superb posting Gary. Loved it! Sincere good wishes, Brian

Gary Radice
Date: 3/13/2022 3:08:00 PM

Thanks Brian. I truly appreciate your comments. I was mesmerised when I saw this picture at London's Tate in an exhibition. I was going to add another line to the poem ..something about 'Friends without friends' but I never got there. No problem - less is more. Cheers - Gary

Jeff Kyser

Date: 3/11/2022 6:41:00 AM

Gotta love the rhyme/meter pattern - I also like the alexandrine, essentially two of your lines combined into a single one. at that point, yours would be both an alexandrine and a monorhyme... yours works perfectly, just something I noticed reading

Gary Radice
Date: 3/11/2022 8:04:00 AM

Thank you for your visit and great comments Jeff. I'd honestly never heard of alexandrine before you mentioned it. Thanks for the heads up - I'm off to find out more from Google Land. :) Cheers - Gary

John Watt

Date: 3/9/2022 3:23:00 PM

Gary, I like poetry about art, I like Hopper's art, and I really love your poem about Nighthawks. It distills so well the theme of many of Hopper's works, namely loneliness, isolation, detachment (similar to your Land Of Lost Shadows). "Catching a sadness that hides in plain sight" could very well be a title of Hopper's biography. The five-word rhyme scheme is a great poetic unifier and as always, your cadence is impeccable. Your last couplet is perfect - "in an air of detachment that hints at their plight". Fully enjoyed this (read through it several times) and sending it to my faves. Please soupmail me with the titles of any of your other poems dealing with art and I will devour them voraciously! Please keep writing. Cheers ~ John

Gary Radice
Date: 3/10/2022 1:02:00 AM

Hi John! Loved reading your comments as always. I too really like Hopper - and any painting that I can put a story to come to think of it. I was always going to write a poem about Hopper; it came down to which painting I would choose. It was a toss up between 'The House by The Railroad' or 'Nighthawks'. Thanks again. Cheers - Gary

Geoffrey Brewer

Date: 3/8/2022 5:45:00 PM

A touch of Raymond Chandler’s evocative writing in the wonderfully atmospheric painting you have chosen, and in your expressive words. A very pleasing combination! Well done! Gary.

Gary Radice
Date: 3/9/2022 2:19:00 AM

The painting could well be a scene from a Raymond Chandler film :) The painting has me asking all sorts of questions. Who are these people? What is their story? What happens next? Who is the guy with his back to us? The dark empty street..the warm glow of the bar / diner. The two people at the bar just seem to be going through the motions. There's an air of alienation..something's not quite right..not sure what it is..Thanks so much for your comments Geoffrey. I've amended the last line since your comments as I think it fits to the mystery theme better. Cheers - Gary

Edward Hopper: Nighthawks

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