Search

We asked whether and how people appreciate ambiguous artworks and examined the possible mechanisms underlying the appeal of perceptual challenge in art. Although experimental research has shown people's particular appreciation for highly familiar and prototypical objects that are fluently processed, there is increasing evidence that in the arts people often prefer ambiguous materials which are processed less fluently. Here, we empirically show that modem and contemporary ambiguous artworks evoking perceptual challenge are indeed appreciated. By applying a multilevel modeling approach together with multidimensional measurement of aesthetic appreciation, we revealed that the higher the subjectively perceived degree of ambiguity within an artwork, the more participants liked it and the more interesting and affecting it was for them. These dimensions of aesthetic appreciation were also positively related to the subjectively reported strength of insights during elaboration of the artworks. The estimated solvability of the experienced ambiguity, in contrast, was not relevant for liking and even negatively linked to interest and affect. Consequently, we propose a critical view of the frequently reported idea that processing (modem) art simply equals a kind of problem-solving task. We suggest the dynamic gain of insights during the elaboration of an ambiguous artwork, rather than the state of having solved a problem, to be a mechanism possibly relevant to the appeal of challenge in the perception of ambiguous art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual complexity is widely considered to be an important variable underlying aesthetic judgments. In previous empirical studies, complexity has mostly been manipulated along quantitative parameters, such as the number or variability of elements. However, complexity can be defined on various processing levels. Here, we went beyond simple structural measures and studied qualitative aspects of complexity on the level of meaning by using ambiguous artworks and altered, less ambiguous artworks. Quantitative aspects of complexity were tested by employing 3 different statistical measures of image complexity (jpeg compression, gif compression, and a perimeter-detection measure), and although there was no significant difference between the 2 ambiguity conditions, ratings of perceived complexity differed. Ambiguous pictures were rated as significantly more complex than the less ambiguous pictures. These findings are a step toward understanding the as yet underrepresented qualitative side of complexity, and the role that ambiguity and meaning may play while the impression of complexity is formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]