Play any kind of music to make art an emotional experience

Art and music have always been closely linked, each enhancing the emotional depth of the other.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA) recently investigated how aesthetic perception is influenced by the combination of music and images.

The results are part of a neuroaesthetic collection edited by Emily Cross from ETH Zurich. This remarkable study illuminates how auditory and visual elements interact in artistic appreciation.

Unique approach to combining music and art

The research began with a fascinating observation at the Kentler International Drawing Space in Brooklyn, New York.

This gallery’s exhibition entitled “Music as Image and Metaphor” presented 41 drawings accompanied by individually composed pieces of music.

The unusual pairing caused visitors to linger longer than usual. Curious about this phenomenon, one of the exhibition’s curators reached out to former MPIEA researcher Lauren Fink to conduct further research.

This conversation sparked the design of the study, which focused on whether the intentional pairing of music and images influences the aesthetic experience or whether random pairings produce similar effects.

Four different aesthetic presentations

The study, conducted online, included more than 200 participants. They were confronted with 16 works presented in four different formats: pure musical compositions, images without any musical accompaniment, deliberate audiovisual pairings and random audiovisual pairings.

The engagement times of the participants were recorded as a measure of aesthetic interest. In addition, participants reported their subjective experiences after each presentation, including emotional reactions and feelings of movement.

Combining music with art

“We found that participants spent the longest time on the music-only tracks, followed by the combined audiovisual pairings, and finally the images without music. However, they reported the strongest emotional impact from the audiovisual combinations,” said Fink, the study’s lead author.

Interestingly, whether the audiovisual pairing was intentional or accidental did not have a significant impact on aesthetic ratings.

“Surprisingly, the type of pairing had no impact on the aesthetic evaluation: regardless of whether the audiovisual pairing was intentional or accidental, participants experienced the works similarly,” noted Fink.

This challenges the idea that perfectly coordinated music and visual elements always create a better experience. Instead, just adding music is shown to increase emotional engagement, even without perfect synchronization.

Emotional depth vs. aesthetic evaluation

Melanie Wald-Fuhrmann, director of the music department at MPIEA and lead author of the study, provided further context.

“It is also noteworthy that there was no direct connection between time spent and aesthetic preferences – an indication that music enriches the emotional depth of art appreciation but does not necessarily change its aesthetic evaluation,” she explained.

This distinction highlights a crucial nuance: while music deepens the emotional resonance of a work of art, it does not necessarily alter its inherent aesthetic appeal.

This result shows the complexity of art perception, in which emotional engagement and aesthetic judgment can function independently of one another.

Implications for the pairing of art and music

The results of the study open up new perspectives on the interaction of music and visual art in shaping aesthetic experiences.

Although targeted pairings can improve the perceived match between the audio and visual elements, they do not necessarily influence how much time viewers spend with the art or what their aesthetic preferences are.

This finding has significant implications for curators, artists, and museum professionals. It suggests that while combining art and music can enhance the overall experience, the selection process doesn’t have to be overly rigorous.

The emotional impact of music alone can be enough to create a compelling artistic presentation.

Wider context of neuroaesthetics

The research also contributes to the broader field of neuroaesthetics, which studies the neural basis of aesthetic experiences.

By studying how auditory and visual elements interact, researchers have provided valuable data on the sensory integration processes that shape our perception of art.

The results are consistent with existing research on multisensory experiences, which suggests that combining sensory modalities often enhances emotional responses.

However, this study uniquely highlights that such combinations may not directly influence aesthetic judgment and offers a new perspective on the complexities of art perception.

Future research directions

The study raises interesting questions for future research. For example, how do individual differences such as musical training or familiarity with visual arts influence responses to audiovisual pairings? Do cultural factors play a role in shaping these experiences?

Addressing these questions could lead to a more nuanced understanding of the interaction between music and visual art.

Another potential research approach is the influence of different genres on aesthetic perception.

Would classical music paired with abstract art elicit different reactions than contemporary or experimental music? Such studies could further refine our understanding of the relationship between auditory and visual stimuli.

Significance of the study

The results also have real-world implications. Museums can use music to make exhibitions more engaging, advertisers can combine visuals with emotional music to grab attention, and storytellers can combine music and visuals to create a greater emotional impact on their audiences.

The study offers valuable insights into the complex relationship between music and visual art.

Music enhances the emotional experience of art, but has little influence on how we judge its beauty. These results highlight the complexity of aesthetic experiences and open doors for further research and practical applications.

The study’s core message is simple: Music has the unique power to deepen our emotional connection to art, even when the pairing lacks conscious synchronization.

The study is published in the journal Scientific reports.

Image source: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

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