Are you an artistic person? Then you’ve probably wondered what art says about a person. Indeed, art reflects the personality of the artist, and even simply ‘liking art’ says something about you! This post tells you how art and personality are connected, and you can also take a quick art taste test to find out what your artistic preferences reveal about your personality!
Does art reflect personality? Yes! Art and personality are closely connected – just like art and identity, and art and mental health!
Interestingly, your art taste, interest, and judgment about others artwork have a lot of things to say about you as a person.
After all, there must be a reason why some artists love to create abstract paintings while others prefer realistic art. Why do some artists tend to use a certain color scheme? And how come some artists choose to incorporate the same elements into their artwork over and over again?
Well, all these artistic choices vary significantly from one person to another. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that psychology sees a pattern in our art taste that can tell something about our personality, subconscious, and even our mental health.
Are you excited to find out what art may say about a person?
Before we dive in, here is a quick art taste test that you can take to see what type of artistic person you are!
Quick art taste test
For our quick art taste test, have a look at the two artworks below. One is an abstract painting, while the other one is a realistic piece of art.
Decide which of them you like better. To find out what your taste in art means, keep on reading. You’ll learn what your art taste says about you at the bottom of this post!
Does art reflect personality?
Art is an inherent part of our lives in general. However, the importance of art in our personal life hugely varies from one person to another.
Related: 9 Reasons Why We Need Art In Our Lives (Importance & Influence Of Art)
Some people create art themselves, others visit galleries and art shows on a regular basis, others read poetry or listen to music. Yet, other people do not pursue an active interest in the arts at all.
So what does liking art say about you?
Even though art has always played a crucial role in our societies, psychology has long neglected the question what art tells about a person.
Studies into art and personality started to take place in the 1930s only, when psychologists like Burt (1933) and Eysenck (1940) began to examine the personality traits of people based on how they rated different paintings.
The researchers used the preference for certain styles of paintings to derive personality factors like intelligence, knowledge, interests, and judgment.
Later on, psychologists examined the connection between art and personality in even more detail. Furnham & Avison (1997), for example, found that there are predictable relationships between a specific art taste and the individual’s personality.
They linked a preference for traditional or representational art to conservatism and conscientiousness. On the other hand, people who liked abstract / cubist art and other non-traditional art styles were found to be more open to new experiences.
Apart from conservatism and openness, several other traits were investigated, too. These included schizophrenia, tolerance for ambiguity, and sensation seeking.
What does your art say about you?
Another study from the 1970s examined the link between color choices and personality traits to find out what your art says about you.
The results show that extrovert and ambivert individuals tend to prefer primary colors and secondary colors. Conversely, introverts favor tertiary and monochrome colors.
The study also noted that neurotic traits did not affect color choices.
How does art reflect your personality?
Other studies of art and personality set out to explore personality, focusing on the artistic activities that the individual undertakes. Such activities may be visiting museums, attending art shows, watching art programs on TV, reading art books and artists’ biographies, and so on.
They found that individuals who are interested in one field of art (such as the visual arts) are also more likely to spend time and money for other types of art (like theater, music, etc.).
The researchers then tried to resolve which personality traits might be responsible for this tendency. They concluded that the same characteristics that also shape a person’s art taste determined to what degree someone is interested in the arts in general.
Again, openness to new experiences plays a key role here, too. On the other side, “conscientious” people usually incline less to the arts.
So is there any pattern as to how art reflects one’s personality?
Indeed, there is! After a century of research, scientists established the so-called Big Five model, claiming that each personality is a combination of five core traits:
- Openness,
- Conscientiousness,
- Extroversion,
- Agreeableness, and
- Neuroticism.
These core traits are also known as the OCEAN traits.
Rather than simply distinguishing between introverts and extroverts, the Big Five model postulates that everyone has various character traits and is somewhere between extrovert and introvert.
Each of the OCEAN traits can be broken down into a range of other features that shape an individual’s personality:
- Openness to experience – individuals tend to be curious, imaginative and independent.
- Conscientiousness – individuals tend to be organized, goal-driven, and competitive.
- Extraversion – individuals tend to be sociable, confident, and outgoing.
- Agreeableness – individuals tend to be friendly, cooperative, kind, and trusting towards others.
- Neuroticism – individuals tend to be anxious and emotionally unstable.
However, the Big Five model is not applicable across the board. Psychologists point out that the model is mainly designed for people living in developed nations and may not fit for other cultures.
Also, the Big Five model was primarily tested with two-dimensional artwork, like paintings. It’s not clear how it applies to the huge variety of different art forms that you can find around the world!
Does art reflect the artist ?
I think we can now undoubtedly answer this question with: yes!
According to what we’ve read above, art does reflect the artist, and I’m sure you’ve already noticed that each artist leaves their ‘custom signature’ on the work they create. The colors they pick, the themes and objects they choose to work with – all this reflects the artist’s personality.
Sometimes, their mark may be subtle, while in other cases it is immediately obvious. But in most cases, I’d like to say, leaving your custom signature happens rather unintentionally. It’s something that simply happens… through your subconscious.
I myself, for example, tend to revisit a certain color palette of milky white tones in my creations. Furthermore, I like to work with elements of nature, in particular roses and rose petals. And recently, I’m also using the recurring theme of bees in many of my works – whether they be from my Surreal Stories or my Lip Service collection.
What that says about me as a person? No idea! Maybe you can tell me. When I create, I don’t question or try to explore the choices I make. I simply create what I feel like creating, giving free rein to my imagination and unconscious mind. That’s actually how many surrealists use to do it, and it’s also the most fun to me!
Art taste test
solution:
The meaning of your taste in art
Now let’s see what your art taste says about you as a person…
At the beginning of this post, you were to decide which of two sample paintings you liked better:
- You preferred the realistic painting to the abstract painting. That means you are someone who likes orderliness and organization. You like to pursue goals and ambitions.
- Your preferred the abstract painting to the realistic painting. That means you are a sensation seeker. You tend to be open to experiences and new ideas, and you have a good portion of curiosity and imagination!
In conclusion, what does art say about a person?
Analyzing people’s artwork is a great way to gain insight into their personalities because so much of the unconscious mind is expressed through art.
Art is an expression of our inner feelings, and in many cases it’s an expression of our subconscious thoughts and emotions.
That’s why art can only be a reflection of the artist’s personality!
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