Trapped within the Glass

           These four human beings drawn together by happenstance, seem trapped within the glass walls, specimens for our imaginations. The couple in the background hunch over the cherry wood counter, their faces tired and gaunt. The woman examines her nails, seemingly oblivious to the man sitting next to her.

from
J.M Pressley
essay on Nighthawks

image
sketch for Nighthawks 1942 
Edward Hopper