Analysis of the Relationship Between Spaces and Places in Relation to the Subject, with an Emphasis on Edward Hopper’s Paintings Based on Juhani Pallasmaa’s Perspective

Abstract

The present study examines the relationship between image and place in the prominent paintings of Edward Hopper, with attention to the significance of spatial perception in aesthetic experience, highlighting the necessity of reinterpreting these works from the perspective of sensory and phenomenological theories. Edward Hopper, a twentieth-century American painter, creates paintings such as Nighthawks, Night Windows, and Cinema Hall, portraying calm, static, and solitude-filled spaces that possess both sensory and mental dimensions. The theoretical framework of this study is based on the phenomenological perspective of Juhani Pallasmaa, a Finnish architect, and the concepts presented in his books The Eyes of the Skin and The Architecture of Image, which emphasize the perception of space through the senses, body, and memory. In line with this, Hopper’s works employ directional lighting, minimal compositions, and defamiliarization of direct subject presentation to produce places that enable an internal, intersubjective experience of space. The aim of this research is to understand the relationship between spaces and places in relation to the subject in Edward Hopper’s paintings, emphasizing Juhani Pallasmaa’s perspective. This study addresses the question: “How does imagery in Hopper’s paintings, through form and stillness, possess the capacity to create space in which place is perceived not only as a background for events but also as a sensory and perceptual phenomenon?” The research adopts a qualitative approach, focusing on descriptive and analytical methods applied to preselected case studies (Hopper’s paintings) and comparative analysis of their features. In the analytical phase, by concentrating on the connection between spatial theory and the visual patterns of the samples in relation to the subject, the study explains and expands the reinterpretation of spatial experience in Hopper’s paintings. Data were collected through analysis of selected artworks, library sources, and empirical observation of the samples. Given that Juhani Pallasmaa’s perspective addresses the relationship between the subject’s perceptual modes and spaces/places, this study is expected to reveal and analyze new dimensions of Hopper’s paintings.