One of my favourite pieces of artwork is Nighthawks by Edward Hopper.

When I see this painting I am made aware of the perpetuity of the world. The activity of the patrons is seemingly sedentary but even people with nothing to do except sit in a diner are still existing and doing so for various reasons at all hours of the day. They are only in our consciousness because they have been illuminated as if on a stage, yet to see them you would have to be out and about yourself. In fact, you would have to be actively passing; you would have to have a purpose in the dark, which is far more out of place than the night owls in sight.

It makes me think about the people we cannot see. We make narrow-minded assumptions about how other people go about their lives: their aims and ambitions, their thoughts, their values. These assumptions aren’t the truth. The truth is that we are a collection of individuals and what makes us individual is our differing purpose. The more freedom society has provided us with in the last century the more individual our pursuits have become and the more our assumptions have been challenged.

The mystery and intrigue of this noir masterpiece is about possibilities yet it makes no moral statement. Any guess at what is actually unfolding is ambivalent. The image is a statement about being rather than being ‘good’ or ‘bad’. The scene is amoral. We come and attach our own stories and judgements to these characters. Voyeuristic narcissism paints it anew. Realising this mistake opens a door to recognising your own potential.

There lies the wonder of this piece. Out of the theme of isolation and darkness comes affinity and illumination. It reminds you that, at any moment, someone somewhere is creating something unique to them. The greater the kaleidoscope, the more beautiful we grow.

This month's favourites:
   Courtney Barnett, Pedestrian at Best
   Alain-Fournier, Le Grand Meaulnes
   The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)