The Whitney's Curator of Drawings, Carter E. Foster, believes that the Flatiron's curved glass prow was part of the inspiration for the painting. You can read more about that theory in my interview with Foster here, as well as my own three-part search for the Nighthawks diner here.
With life-size cut-outs of the nighthawks in their places around the diner counter, and with the lights turned on at night, you can almost imagine yourself as a voyeur inside Hopper's scene--except he didn't have any iPhone texters in his painting.
You can see the installation at the Flatiron through October 6.
12 comments:
Awesome. Hopper is one of the best artists ever. Caught his show a few years back at the Art Institute.
He lived in Greenwich Village right?
This is beautifully done. Thanks, Moshe.
Love the texting zombie oblivious to it. New York in a nutshell these days.
Looks cool. I just wish the "Flatiron Art" branding wasn't in the window.
i love the beautiful wooden counter. has anyone researched the "phillies" sign over the diner? this is an amazing painting.
Gasp! That woman is texting! It might even be something unimportant and inane! She's obviously a brain-dead zombie. I know I sure never send texts. Kids these days...
The image of the texter next to the installation is ingenious. A Hopper-like image of people in isolation, 2013-style, could be of a cafe full of texters never looking up.
Hopper lived at 3 Washington Square North, corner of University Place, which is still standing.
Texting in my opinion destroys productivity. When we could be writing beautiful poetry, painting pictures, composing music, creating things to better society, we are in a mass of communicative distractions.
To give you an example, I was trying to pass a test a few years ago, and texting is what destroyed my concentration. It also can offend people in social groups.
I noticed whenever someone takes out their phone to text the ignored person must also take out their phone for insecurity reasons.
As much benefit technology brings us we should learn to control our use an impulses.
Here is a short video of the installation: http://youtu.be/hEjwebkaI-U
Meanwhile, we have no idea whether or not that young woman may have been texting a friend to say, "There's this great installation at the Flatiron Building that you just have to see!"
I was actually really disappointed by the installation. The cardboard cutout looks cheap (I was expecting 3D models) and it looks rather slight in the space. It basically serves as an advertisement for the Hopper installation at the Whitney (which is wonderful) and of course, there is a big Spring logo. Gotta love corporate sponsorship.
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