Some artists think it old fashioned, but it was and in many cases I believe still is, an essential tool in an artist's repertoire. The preparatory sketch allows you to think around an idea and it provides an important breathing space for the development of visual concepts that sits between the processes of initial observation and those of composition. Edward Hopper is a classic case in point. If we want to see Hopper's ideas germinating we go and look at his preparatory sketches. In this instance, an observational drawing of a man from the back, sitting down at a bar begins an idea. We are sucked into the internal world of this lone figure and Hopper realises the potential that this small drawing has for something much larger, something that has a lot to say about the condition of human beings within a large urban metropolis.
Observational sketches
The small observational sketches above are simple visual notes, the sort of thing any of us might make, often scribbled in a note pad while having a cup of coffee, but this image in particular gets through to Hopper and he draws it again.
Edward Hopper sketch for the figure in the centre of Nighthawks
Hopper returns to his initial small drawings and redraws the man's back view, this time giving it more weight, solidifying the form and sitting it more firmly in a space. There is something about this figure, it begins to suck us in, as we look at it, it is facing in the same direction as us, towards the wall, but is focused on something we cant see. The hat begins to have more meaning, it is solidly on the head, but at the same time the circle of its rim indicates a rotational space that begins to revolve around the figure.
The centre of the composition
Hopper realises that this figure has a powerful presence, one that has enough gravitas around which he can build a composition. In the drawing above you can see clearly how he is beginning to imagine an image where this figure sits in the centre, and that hat now begins to have another type of importance, not just as a compositional device but as a psychological one. It further anonymises the figure of the man, casting a shadow over him and sending him even further into himself, in effect making this man even more lonely. Once the man is established as a focal or anchor point, Hopper is able to think about how various rectangles can be made to articulate themselves around him. Finally in the actual painting the rectangle around this man will become as dark as the man himself.
The man's interior darkness eventually pervades the entire composition, but earlier on in the development of the image his body stands out against the light. As other figures are firmed up they begin to establish relationships, a man and woman are clearly connected and they engage with the late night employee's gaze. It's a cold, rather unfocused relationship, but at least it is one that collects them together as a small group of three, the forth figure is acknowledged by no one, totally withdrawn into himself.
The composition is almost firmed up
The final painting: Nighthawks 1942
Nighthawks was painted in 1942, a time of war in Europe, which is perhaps why I was reminded of it. In the final painting the rectangle that surrounds the central figure of the lone man has got darker, so dark in fact his figure is almost lost in its blackness. The other figures are at least lit by the glow of artificial light, even if it is a harsh cold pale lemon yellow one.
Hopper has revealed the deep loneliness that people can feel, especially in a huge city full of millions of people. His thinking process as you can see is very formal, but he is using compositional processes that clearly reflect a deep understanding of the relationship between shape, position, colour, tonal value and their psychological impact.
The process Hopper uses begins with a tiny sketch, perhaps done in a similar situation to the final image, perhaps a drawing done in the full light of day, but once he has spotted potential in the image, you can see him building his composition piece by piece, thinking it through, but still making changes even as he paints the final image. That darkening of the rectangle of light that surrounds his lonely figure of a man, being a final painterly decision that turns this image into a dark masterpiece, one that has lodged itself firmly into my brain ever since I first saw it in the 1960s. Now, 80 years after it was painted, in a time of post-covid and worries about war in Europe, it seems to me that Hopper's image has a particular relevance, reminding us of how easy it is to slip into isolated despair, even when surrounded by other people and it perhaps reminds us therefore to be more open to others, and to offer companionship when we feel we can.
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