Symmetry is Not a Universal Law of Beauty
- Author(s)
- Helmut Leder, Pablo Tinio, David Brieber, Tonio Kröner, Thomas Jacobsen, Raphael Rosenberg
- Abstract
Scientific disciplines as diverse as biology, physics, and psychological aesthetics regard symmetry as one of the most important principles in nature and one of the most powerful determinants of beauty. However, symmetry has a low standing in the arts and humanities. This difference in the valuation of symmetry is a remarkable illustration of the gap between the two cultures. To close this gap, we conducted an interdisciplinary, empirical study to directly demonstrate the effects of art expertise on symmetry appreciation. Two groups of art experts—artists and art historians—and a group of non-experts provided spontaneous beauty ratings of visual stimuli that varied in symmetry and complexity. In complete contrast to responses typically found in non-art experts, art experts found asymmetrical and simple stimuli as most beautiful. This is evidence of the effects of specific education and training on aesthetic appreciation and a direct challenge to the universality of symmetry.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, Department of Art History
- External organisation(s)
- Helmut Schmidt Universität / Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg, Montclair State University
- Journal
- Empirical Studies of the Arts
- Volume
- 37
- Pages
- 104-114
- No. of pages
- 11
- ISSN
- 0276-2374
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0276237418777941
- Publication date
- 2017
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 501001 General psychology, 501011 Cognitive psychology, 604004 Fine arts, 604019 Art history
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Music, Visual Arts and Performing Arts, Literature and Literary Theory
- Portal url
- https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/symmetry-is-not-a-universal-law-of-beauty(efb4f695-ec84-46a6-a683-13d0392973be).html