American Modernism · 1942

Nighthawks

Edward Hopper 1882–1967

Still in copyright: the image isn't shown, only the colors measured from it.

Nighthawks (1942) by Edward Hopper. Its palette is led by charcoal (#11292b, 52%) and muted lime green (#6e977c, 13%), with accents of muted green, dark reddish brown and amber. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and balanced between warm and cool.

Color reading

Black, green and blue cover about three-quarters of the canvas. Its most vivid color, amber #A97E34, takes up just 1% of it.

Palette

#11292b MG 222 charcoal 52.1% of canvas
#6e977c MG 056 muted lime green 12.8% of canvas
#2f1f14 MG 219 bistre 10.9% of canvas
#445c51 MG 058 muted green 9.0% of canvas
#dcd898 MG 042 pale yellow 7.5% of canvas
#65351f MG 155 dark reddish brown 6.3% of canvas
#a97e34 MG 034 amber 1.4% of canvas

Color families

Black 39%, Green 19%, Blue 17%, Brown 14%, Yellow 6%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.38
Contrast: 0.65
Vividness: 0.035
Warmth: +0.01
Complexity: 130 cells
Hue range: 0.67
Focus: 0.00

Composition

55% of the visual weight is in the right half, 50% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.00 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 34% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 27% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1942
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 84 × 152 cm
Made in: United States
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago