Does feeling inspired by art come down to science?

Scientific research shows appreciation for art is linked to positive emotional responses that arise as beautiful, harmonious and positive.¹ Feelings of inspiration are frequently tied to contemplating and viewing artworks. While much research has been done in relation to the impact listening to music has on one’s emotional state, the studies are emerging more slowly around art and our psyche.

Philosophers and art critics have long debated the impact viewing art has on one’s emotional state. It seems that art can be tied to many emotions, but often most cited as being related to empathy, imagination and happiness (or joy).

Empathy

Engaging with art on a frequent basis has been directly linked to cultivating human centric qualities such as empathy. School of Art Institute of Chicago’s Professor of Writing, Jesse Ball, describes the link like this:

“Artists try to make a gift of what they have felt. What they have felt is the aggregate of what they have seen, and so it includes their own imaginings of what others have thought and felt.”²

This form of mirrored empathy encourages viewers to reveal or feel emotions that are felt by the community around them.

Imagination

Often times artworks are praised for being complex and intricate, weaving together layers of narrative and technique. Being in the presence of such talent is reminiscent of being in the presence of something greater than oneself. This is why art and consuming creative expression leads to feelings of wonder and awe.¹ We are transported on an imaginative journey, both visual and sensorial. As Leo Tolstoy says in What is Art?:

“and it is also art if a man feels, or imagines to himself feelings of delight, gladness, sorrow, despair, courage or despondency, and the transition from one to another of these feelings and expresses them.”³

Happiness

Ever notice how when you listen to a favorite song of yours, you can be immediately transported back to a time when you first heard that song or the joy you felt in the presence of loved ones who made that song more memorable? Recent studies show that art has the same time traveling quality to it, eliciting feelings of nostalgia and happiness. The content and personal interpretation of an artwork, rather than its form, get your brain working in different ways.⁴ You begin recalling experiences that remind you of the scene, deciphering abstract images, or thinking of people that look like the portrait you are viewing. This investigative journey, which often can happen in seconds, uncovers a deeper connection between humans and visual storytelling. Makes sense since this form of communication has endured centuries, with the earliest form of paintings being documented in caves.

But what about art expertise? As children, we are encouraged to play and imagine. To storytell and speak without abandon. When interacting with paintings at museums, you can often see groups of kids screaming out words related to the artwork and how it makes them feel. “Happy! Scared! Pretty! Blue!”.. the list goes on. However as we grow older, our words are supposed to carry more weight. A discerning eye is required to truly understand art and the meaning behind its production. Or is it? Often people are split into categories of those who know art and can talk about it intelligently, and those who are novices and enjoy the beautiful colors and movements.

However, when embarking on a journey to learn more about art, experts and advisors advise you to think like a child, and see as much art as you can to determine what calls out to you. Without any criteria, take in all the art at all the galleries and museums to determine your aesthetic.

In a 2015 study conducted on the influence of art expertise, a mix of participants including art experts and novices were asked to rate artworks (both representative and abstract) in a lab and a museum setting. The study, published in PLOS One (a peer reviewed, open source scientific journal) found that while the art experts rated the artworks higher than novices on aesthetic components, there were no differences in the affective evaluations (emotional response) recorded.⁴ The findings of this study are important because they are consistent with the claim that art appreciation and the related affective components are less about art expertise. We can all enjoy art and feel something no matter what our experience or background is. The same way that we appreciate all beautiful things in life. When we see something we like, we know it.

Cliff Walk at Pourville (1882) by Claude Monet. Original from the Art Institute of Chicago.

Article is also available on Medium, published February 19th 2021.

1 Aesthetic Emotions Across Arts: A Comparison Between Painting and Music, Andrei C. Miu, Simina Pitur, and Aurora Szentagotai-Tatar, Frontiers in Psychology, January 2016.

2 The Art of Empathy, Liz Logan, School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

3 How Does Art Express Emotion? Ismay Barwell, Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism,1986.

4 The Influence of Art Expertise and Training on Emotion and Preference Ratings for Representational and Abstract Artworks, Jorien van Paasschen, Francesca Bacci, and David P. Meicher, PLOS one, August 2015.