Prediction of beauty and liking ratings for abstract and representational paintings using subjective and objective measures
Abstract
Recent research on aesthetics has challenged the adage that ªbeauty is in the eye of the
beholderº by identifying several factors that predict ratings of beauty. However, this research
has emerged in a piecemeal fashion. Most studies have examined only a few predictors of
beauty, and measured either subjective or objective predictors, but not both. Whether the
predictors of ratings of beauty versus liking differ has not been tested, nor has whether predictors
differ for major distinctions in art, such as abstract vs. representational paintings.
Finally, past studies have either relied on experimenter-generated stimuliÐwhich likely yield
pallid aesthetic experiencesÐor on a curation of high-quality artÐthereby restricting the
range of predictor scores. We report a study (N = 598) that measured 4 subjective and 11
objective predictors of both beauty ratings and liking ratings, for 240 abstract and 240 representational
paintings that varied widely in beauty. A crossover pattern occurred in the ratings,
such that for abstract paintings liking ratings were higher than beauty ratings, whereas
for representational paintings beauty ratings were higher than liking ratings. Prediction was
much better for our subjective than objective predictors, and much better for our representational
than abstract paintings. For abstract paintings, liking ratings were much more predictable
than beauty ratings. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
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