The masterpiece of the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, The girl with the pearlhas inspired all kinds of creations: from books and plays to a film starring Scarlett Johansson.
But although it is widely considered one of the most fascinating works of art ever made, it has taken scientists almost 400 years to find out why.
Now, neuroscientists have revealed that this 17th century oil painting uses a psychological trick called ‘sustained attention loop’ that keeps the viewer in front of the painting.
Researchers believe this unique effect could even explain the appeal of great works of art like the Mona Lisa. Martin Munnikco-founder of the neuroscience company Neurensics, who led the studystates: “You have to pay attention to it, whether you want it or not. You have to love her whether you want to or not.”
To understand what makes this painting so fascinating, the Mauritshuis Museum from The Hague (Netherlands), where it is located, invited neuroscientists to study how our brains react to art.
The researchers placed 20 participants special EEG headphones that recorded their brain activity while eye trackers recorded where they were looking.
The experiment revealed that The girl with the pearl has a unique attention-grabbing effect. Of Munnik he says: “It was predictable that the girl would be special, but why was also a surprise to us.”
“Normally, when you look at a face, you look at the eyes, mouth and that’s it, because you have already determined whether that person is ‘safe’ or not. not with The girl with the pearl“says De Munnik.
Vermeer is well known for leaving most of his paintings with some parts blurred, while other details are especially sharp to attract the viewer’s eye. In The girl with the pearlVermeer uses three of these focal points: the mouth, the eyes and the earring.
Thus, instead of sliding out of the frame after a quick glance, the viewer’s gaze is drawn in a triangle from the eyes to the mouthattentive and again to the eyes.
This looping effect means that viewers will look at the face in the painting for much longer than the faces in other paintings. The researchers believe that this effect of hold your gaze could explain why The girl with the pearl and other great paintings like this are so attractive.
Munnic says: “The more you look at someone, the more beautiful or attractive they become. Why do you know this picture and not the others? Because of that special quality it has.”
The neuroscientists behind the study, which they plan to publish as an academic paper, now say they would like to repeat the study with other paintingsincluding the Mona Lisa.
