Hello everyone! For this weeks posting, I wanted to discuss a certain type of emotion that can be evoked from a work of art, alienation. I have felt that this theme and emotion of alienation is something that a lot of people have endured throughout this global pandemic. I find it interesting how certain emotions are depicted by artists in different mediums. I will be discussing a composition from the twentieth century, which reflects a time when mental health issues were not being dealt with.

One American painter who portrayed underlying themes of loneliness in his composition was Edward Hopper. His painting Nighthawks, (1942) depicted an all-night-diner that was inspired by a place the artist encountered. Four characters were shown seated around the bar counter, being served by a waiter. A man and a red headed woman faced the viewer, while the other man at the counter had his back turned.

The work evoked alienation and loneliness in a metropolitan city. This highly populated city still found a way to make its people feel so small and alienated from society. Physically close, the customers seemed psychologically distant, as each customer drifted off into his or her world. I feel as though this work also addresses mental health, since even though the individual customers were seated near each other, they  were still anxious and drifting away from socialization. The customers seem as though they are in a different world no one is mentally present in this painting or near each other.