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Updated: May 30, 2026
04:43
Visualizing Visual Adaptation
Published on: April 24, 2017
Turning art into mere illustration: concretizing art renders its influence context dependent
Henrik Hagtvedt1, Vanessa M Patrick
1Carroll School of Management, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA. hagtvedt@bc.edu
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|August 3, 2011
Summary
Emphasizing what an artwork depicts can reduce its perceived artistic value, making it seem like an illustration. This effect depends on context, unlike viewing art for its own sake.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Art Theory
- Consumer Behavior
Background:
- Artworks possess unique significance and serve as potent communication tools.
- The perceived value of art can be influenced by how it is presented and interpreted.
- Understanding the factors that differentiate viewing art as 'art' versus 'illustration' is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how emphasizing the depicted content of an artwork affects its perceived significance.
- To determine whether the influence of an artwork as art is context-dependent or independent.
- To explore the relationship between cognitive mind-sets (abstract vs. concrete) and the interpretation of artworks.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments were conducted to test the hypotheses.
- Experiment 1 and 2 examined the influence of emphasizing depicted content in product-associated artworks.
- Experiment 3 investigated the role of abstract versus concrete mind-sets in art interpretation.
Main Results:
- Emphasizing the depicted content diminishes the artwork's status as 'art,' framing it as an 'illustration.'
- The influence of an 'artwork as illustration' is context-dependent, whereas 'artwork as art' is context-independent.
- An abstract mind-set promotes viewing art as 'art,' while a concrete mind-set aligns with viewing art as 'illustration.'
Conclusions:
- The interpretation of an artwork's significance is malleable and influenced by contextual cues and cognitive framing.
- Highlighting the representational aspects of art can inadvertently reduce its appreciation as a distinct artistic entity.
- Cognitive mind-sets play a significant role in how individuals engage with and value artistic creations.
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