A new study reveals a surprising gender distinction in how males and females relate to art – while men connect more with the artist and his/her biography, women tend to focus more on the art object itself.

In order to make this discovery, over 500 subjects were given a fictitious artist’s biography to read and an unknown work of art by said artist to observe.  While the artwork was actual, none of the participants knew the book was fiction.  When asked if they liked the artist and the object they had created – enough to own the work – the men cited biographical detail as a more important barometer of desirability than an artwork’s artistic merits.  In contrast, women chose to delve more deeply into the artwork and its characteristics, deemphasizing biography.

The researchers could not decipher a neurological cause for these distinct approaches to art; however, they did determine that perhaps the social construct of art-making as a “girl” thing, with females understanding technique, form, color, and other innate features of an art object more profoundly than men, played a significant role in the varied gender responses.  It seemed clear that for men, value was based on investment, while for women, value emerged from the aesthetic experience.

Take a peek at: http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20140909184943.shtml.

 

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