Assessing aesthetic impressions with pictorial measures: A novel approach in empirical aesthetics.

ABSTRACT: This study introduces pictorial technique (PT) as an innovative method in empirical aesthetics to assess aesthetic impressions of visual artworks. Forty participants, drawn from general and artistic populations, evaluated nine paintings representing abstract, traditional figural, and modern figural styles using the PT and aesthetic rating scales. The PT enabled participants to mark impactful areas within artworks, transforming subjective impressions into spatial data visualized as heatmaps. Results showed that, on average, participants marked 17% of the painting's surface, with notable stylistic differences in attention distribution. Abstract paintings exhibited dispersed attention, focusing on geometric shapes and color contrasts, while traditional figural works concentrated on narrative

SUBMITTER: Stojilovic IZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11826878 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan-Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature