Nighthawks and Louie Comparing the Work of Edward Hopper and Louis C.K. Kendall Klitzke Columbia College Chicago, Class of 2014
Painters and comedians are an unlikely match. A striking connection between the styles of an American mid-twentieth-century painter and a stand-up comedian with a popular and innovative sitcom on FX narrows that already uncommon pair down to two men: painter Edward Hopper and Louis Szekely, commonly known as Louis C.K. There is a strong parallel between the visual style and artistic perspective of Louis C.K.’s Louie and the paintings of Edward Hopper. Their use of light, their portrayal of New York and the people in it, and their depictions of life and America through their personal perspectives bridge the gap between the Great Depression and the present. Watercooler Journal
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In most cases, Edward Hopper and Louis C.K. strive for realism—or at least their version of it. The latter artist deviates into absurdity and surrealism occasionally, albeit for very real reasons. The images these two artists create are largely illuminated by natural light sources either presented in the frame or coming from an obvious place. Hazy fluorescents illuminate the train car scene in “Subway/Pamela,” similar to the sunlight streaming in the windows, casting shadows, and distributing sunshine in neat boxes across Hopper’s Chair Car. Many scenes in Louie appear to be lit by streetlamps and neon signs, and a common aspect of his visual style is the use of bright lights streaming from public spaces and businesses out onto dark New York streets. Hopper employs this method as well. The diner in his most famous work, Nighthawks, streams bright, white light out onto an empty street at night, creating shadows and shapes on the pavement. In Louie, refrigerator lights illuminate faces—like in “Barney/Never” and many other episodes—while Hopper drenches bodies in sunlight in paintings like Morning Sun. In addition, there are moments when everything—both in Louie and in Hopper’s Sunday—is flat, lit by the sun in a casual, cloudy way. Both men choose to use light to draw and direct attention while also deciding when not to use it all. This sense of realism, natural light, or lack thereof contributes greatly to the impact of the images, often contributing to the melancholy of the scenes depicted.
“C.K. and Hopper provide both a beautiful and romantic depiction of city life but also address reality and the darkness, loneliness, and disillusionment that can come from living in New York.” Louis C.K. and Edward Hopper have a love affair with New York City. Hopper paints fantastic landscapes, life in the American countryside, and a breathtaking series of nautical imagery including lighthouses, but what is arguably his best work came from his depictions of New York City. Hopper gained a widespread reputation as the artist who gave visual form to the loneliness and boredom living in the big city. Louie takes place almost entirely in New York, with a few vignettes as exceptions. C.K. isn’t afraid to juxtapose the magnificent parts right next to the dirty, seedy parts of New York, either. He loves shooting Louie in New York, because, well, people just “don’t give a shit,” he says. “New York is great because people really don’t care… Even fans, they’ve got somewhere to go.” This same sensibility is captured in Hopper’s paintings of public places like Nighthawks, and the more private Room in New Watercooler Journal
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York. People in New York are packed together but completely alone in their own thoughts and business. Referring to Nighthawks, Hopper said, “I didn't see it as particularly lonely... Unconsciously, probably, I was painting the loneliness of a large city.” Much of Hopper’s New York work features people physically alone or with people, but not engaging or looking at anything, let alone another person. Louie captures this by making himself an island countless times, staying indoors, alone, with a vast and endlessly interesting city at his disposal that can be seen through a window. Louie is often left staring into the abyss as well. However, while Hopper’s work generally shows no one engaging in any substantive way, Louie often looks directly at a person or object that ignores him, like Pamela and many of the other women he pursues. In his pursuit to make connections, he actually isolates himself, an event that could have just transpired in Room in New York minutes before the moment Hopper captures. Ultimately, Louis C.K. and Hopper provide both a beautiful and romantic depiction of city life but also address reality and the darkness, loneliness, and disillusionment that can come from living in New York. Hopper and C.K. are staunch individualists. Hopper gained widespread recognition as a central figure and standard of American scene painting, expressing the loneliness, vacuity, and stagnation of town and city life. However, he once said, ”I don't think I ever tried to paint the American scene; I'm trying to paint myself.” Louie is arguably as pure and direct of an expression of individuality and of Louis C.K. as it is possible to attain in the television business. C.K. says, “When you write from your gut and let the stuff stay flawed and don't let anybody tell you to make it better, it can end up looking like nothing else.” He writes, directs, edits, and stars in Louie. FX can’t and doesn’t tell him what to make. He has an unprecedented golden ticket of full creative control. A common thread between the two men is that much of their work strives to tell the truth. Hopper's images of lonely people are disturbingly truthful, or at least his version of the truth. He once said, “In general, it can be said that a nation's art is greatest when it most reflects the character of its people.” C.K. is well known for saying what everyone is thinking and then taking it a step further. “Out of the people that ever were, almost all of them are dead. There are way more dead people, and you’re all gonna die and then you’re gonna be dead for way longer than you’re alive. Like, that’s mostly what you’re ever gonna be. You’re just dead people that didn’t die yet,” he says during a stand-up set. The two men strive for their versions of truth and honesty and rarely stray from them. Hopper was known to be a stoic, introverted man with a frank and gentle sense of humor. This isn't necessarily the Louis C.K. that is known to the Watercooler Journal
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public, but it's on record that C.K. isn't necessarily a talker, answering questions in interviews succinctly and not showing any more cards than he has to. Work that bears a similarity comes from men that bear a similarity. Overall, there is a strong connection between the ideologies and visual styles of American painter Edward Hopper and comedian Louis C.K. through their use of natural light or light from visible sources, their mutual affections for New York City and city life, their portrayals of people, and their ultimate individual outlooks.
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image credits, in order: ©FX Networks ©FX Networks Chair Car, @Christie’s Images/The Bridgeman Art Library ©FX Networks Summer Interior, @Christie’s Images/The Bridgeman Art Library ©FX Networks Close-Up of Nighthawks, @Christie’s Images/The Bridgeman Art Library ©FX Networks Sunday, @Christie’s Images/The Bridgeman Art Library ©FX Networks Room in New York, @Christie’s Images/The Bridgeman Art Library ©FX Networks Morning Sun, @Christie’s Images/The Bridgeman Art Library Watercooler Journal
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