I read a post a while back about someone building the famous Nighthawks Cafe based on the painting by Edward Hopper. It took me about a year, but I finished my impression of the cafe. Now I say "impression" because I based it on the painting, but half way into the project I came across a very detailed research paper on it..
http://www.popspotsnyc.com/nighthawks/
So my model is a bit off, but it was fun to build.
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Nice piece of work interpreting a great painting.
Nice craftsmanship! The curved window is awesome.
Very cool work!!!!
Very nice job.
NIghthawks is my favorite painting of one of my favorite subjects. I think I have more diners of several manufactueres than any other single kind of building for my trains, but yours is very clever and unique.
And thanks for also posting the research link. I enjoyed it also.
Alan
Azroads,
Nice job! And thanks for the link to that article, it was fascinating reading
It was the late John Armstrong who first modeled Nighthawks. In O Scale no less.He published an article in the January 1989 Model Railroader. Its an interesting read as he describes how he dealt with the non rectangular foot print, forcing the viewer's view point, and above all, controlling the lights and shadows to get the mood of the painting. Which as you found out, is not trivial at all!
I congratulate you, sir!
Great project, and great history.
Not that anybody asked, but:
There is an interesting story behind the "non-grid" streets that can be found in NYC. At the time that the 1811 municipal grid system was established for the streets north of Houston, there were already several significant housing developments uptown--way out in the sticks. Each of these had chosen its own street grid. So, when you see "off-grid" streets, they are "fossil remains" of these old communities.
The 1811 grid follows the major axis of the island, so it is sort-of-but-not-quite North-South (with Broadway being the obvious and deliberate exception). But the older communities had made their own choices. For example, a community called "Bowery Village" used magnetic north-south as its major axis. Stuyvesant Street in the East Villiage is a remnant of this grid. If you stand at the corner of Stuyvesant and 10th St, the former looks slanted, but it is really the rest of the island that is off! Greenwich Villiage also existed before 1811, and its grid went diagonally from NW to SE. So THAT is why "Nighthawks" is askew.
Just thought you might want to know...
My compliments on your outstanding craftsmanship on this model. The details such as counter, stools, coffee urns, swinging doors, clock, coffee cups, napkin holders, lighting, curved window and exterior wall, are terrific. No wonder it took you a year. Beautiful!
MELGAR
Great detail. 
Thank you all for the kind reviews, it means a lot to me from like minded rail heads.
The research link was so interesting to me, and a real eye opener as to how I viewed and mis-interpreted the painting. Some day I want to try to duplicate this with this new knowledge. I hope anyone else who attempts this finds the information helpful.
I'm very impressed. Two thumbs up!
I think its wonderful!
Nighthawks counter appears to be a triangle but the building more a rectangle. I always thought it was akin to MC Escher in that things are not always what they appear.
Very nice work. We had a Night Hawk cafe here in Austin that had really great food.
I've always liked that painting.....as well as a "spin off" of it called "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".
If you're not familiar with the latter, took a look at it and see if you can figure out who the four people are: https://www.google.com/search?...mgrc=cVFXxuB7XcCaLM:
Farmer_Bill posted:Nighthawks counter appears to be a triangle but the building more a rectangle. I always thought it was akin to MC Escher in that things are not always what they appear.
I think you see what through me off. If the counter had followed the wall outline I think I would have seen the angle.
Avanti posted:Great project, and great history.
Not that anybody asked, but:
There is an interesting story behind the "non-grid" streets that can be found in NYC. At the time that the 1811 municipal grid system was established for the streets north of Houston, there were already several significant housing developments uptown--way out in the sticks. Each of these had chosen its own street grid. So, when you see "off-grid" streets, they are "fossil remains" of these old communities.
The 1811 grid follows the major axis of the island, so it is sort-of-but-not-quite North-South (with Broadway being the obvious and deliberate exception). But the older communities had made their own choices. For example, a community called "Bowery Village" used magnetic north-south as its major axis. Stuyvesant Street in the East Villiage is a remnant of this grid. If you stand at the corner of Stuyvesant and 10th St, the former looks slanted, but it is really the rest of the island that is off! Greenwich Villiage also existed before 1811, and its grid went diagonally from NW to SE. So THAT is why "Nighthawks" is askew.
Just thought you might want to know...
Being from New York I have walked the streets without knowing this history. Thanks.
Train guys, model builders, art critics, and art analysts....Who says we ain't got culture... ?
Excellent craftsmanship!
colorado hirailer posted:Train guys, model builders, art critics, and art analysts....Who says we ain't got culture... ?
We are the people who made America Great.
Love this tread, nice work.
I just revisited the photos. The Nighthawk is so realistic that I'm getting hungry. I'm going to have to head down to the Blue Front cafe here in Amarillo, for a short stack, bacon, and two cups of coffee.
Love it!
Nighthawks is one of my favorite Hopper paintings. Great job
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