How far will people stand from the painting during free appreciation?

- The relationship between canvas sizes and viewing distances -

Abstract

Art appreciation in a laboratory setting has often been used as a methodology in research on aesthetic experiences but has limitations in terms of ecological validity. This study measured behavior using body tracking during free appreciation with a higher ecological validity under laboratory conditions and examined the relationship between canvas size and viewing distance. The results indicated that the viewing distance was positively correlated with the canvas size, especially the height, which suggested vertical viewing, required a bigger viewing distance than horizontal for the same area. We discuss characteristics of art viewing as an aesthetic experience based on data obtained from eye-tracking as well.