How do YOU look at art?

Recently I was contacted by Ute Kreplin, PhD candidate at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK, about using one of my images for his online survey researching how people look at, and react to seeing artistic images.

I took the survey, which involves looking at images, and grading your first response in several categories.  One of the images is a painting I created - you might recognize it.

I will be interested in the results of Ute's research.  Wouldn't it be great for an artist to know what aspects of a painting appeal to the broadest range of viewers?  This is especially valuable to beginning artists.

Of course, every viewer has their own interpretation of what makes a good painting.  I have found that my own appreciation of different artistic styles has vastly expanded by studying art and art history.
However, ultimately, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

When you participate in Ute's survey, you will have to think about what you feel when viewing the art and I think that alone is an important reason to take the survey.  Below is Ute's study:

Liverpool John Moores University Visual Aesthetic Interest Survey

Do you want to take part in an online study?
Are you aged over 18?
Do you want to give subjective ratings towards contemporary artworks?

You can complete the study in around 20 minutes. You will rate pictures for ‘interest’ and you can compare your most interesting picture to everybody else's most interesting picture.
You can also win Amazon vouchers (UK site only).

To take part in this study and for further details go to
 http://physiologicalcomputing.net/isurvey/

Many Thanks
Ute Kreplin, PhD student at Liverpool John Moores University, UK



3 comments:

  1. But surely art shouldnt be created because of what the majority of people consider to be aesthetically pleasing. Thousands of books have been writen on ways to view images, not that i'm saying you should view images in any particular way, people should make up their own minds as to how art should be viewed. All this will do is give a stencil of how to create a popular image to sell more pictures. It should be up to the artist to guide the eye, to create, considor and conjour the colours and compositions in their own interesting or unique way.

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  2. I agree. Every artist should follow his/her own vision. I think the results of the survey can be valuable to beginning artists, however, who are wondering why their work is not getting good responses. Ultimately, every artist will develop their own style.

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  3. I'd enjoy taking the survey just for the benefit of understanding my own reactions to various art pieces, something that is purely instinctive at this point. To me this would be no different that learning various techniques, I might pick up some knowledge but how it is interpreted/delivered to the canvas is all me :-) thanks for sharing Carol.

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