| Title |
A Study on the Spatial Characteristics in the Interior Spaces of Edward Hopper’s Paintings |
| Keywords |
Edward Hopper ; Painting ; Light ; Geometry ; Space |
| Abstract |
Edward Hopper is one of the great American artists in the 20th Century. In the field of art, it seems that his paintings are thoroughly analyzed in terms of human alienation and emotional aspects in various ways. However, in his numerous paintings, highly interesting spatial aspects can be found. Purpose of this study is to analyze some of his painting by the spatially analytical tools to examine how his space is experienced. The tools are: relationship between each space, relationship between light and space, and geometrical composition. Among many paintings by Hopper, four of the works that depicted interior spaces are selected and further case-studied in detail: 「Rooms by the Sea」(1951), 「Sun in an Empty Room」(1963), 「New York Movie」(1939) and 「Automat」(1927). An Environmental Simulation with scale models was used to examine the relation between light and space. After the research, some unique characteristics of his space were found. Even though his paintings seem to represent the everyday spaces, there are fascinating hidden structure to make people experience in a specific way that Hopper created. Spaces in his paintings do not communicate with each other but are constantly interrupted by the element of time. The mundane everyday world is rediscovered and recreated through these multidimensional and heterogeneous space. |