Telling Stories Through Space. Landscapes, Maps and Architecture in Peter Sís’ Picture Books

Abstract

Children’s literature is rich in narrative and iconic references to space. By relating with children’s real spatial experience, these representations certainly assume a significant role in the construction of the idea of space and living in these young readers. Picture books are a basic source for childhood education in spatial and architectural thinking.

In recent times, many disciplines, especially in the fields of literary analysis and geography, have turned their attention towards the matter, while internal approaches within the disciplines of architecture, urban studies and the specific area of the representation of space are much rarer.

The work of the Czechoslovak artist Peter Sís constitutes an interesting field of research within this overview. His books, in fact, present an extraordinary repertoire of spatial representations and bear witness to a rare degree of attention towards geographic and architectural perspectives. His illustrations demonstrate a knowledgeable and accurate use of the codified forms of spatial representation of the various scales and their continuous personal and expressive reinterpretation. The present study therefore intends to inquire into the issue by referring to existing literature and contributing to the disciplines of architecture and studies on design and representation.