Automated Colour Identification and Quantification in Children’s Drawings of God

Abstract

AbstractColour is still a relatively neglected aspect in the study both of religious art and of children’s artistic expression of the divine. Our research addresses this important gap and adds to psychological research on religious representations and conceptualization of the divine. From drawings collected in four different cultural and religious environments: Japanese (Buddhism and Shinto), Russian-Buryat (Buddhism, Shamanism), Russian-Slavic (Christian Orthodoxy) and French-speaking Swiss (Catholic and reformed Christianity) we show that children often imagine and depict god using the same colours: primarily yellow and blue. Apparently, god is often imagined by children as light or in light (yellow) and dwelling in the sky (blue). These results parallel historical and religious studies showing that the light enjoys prominent and most powerful symbolism and association with the divine. Complementary analysis of possible effect of child’s age, gender, and schooling (religious or regular) did not affect the main result. This research also introduced a novel approach to data analysis by using computer vision in psychological studies of children’s drawings. The automated colour identification method was developed to extract colours from scans of drawings. Despite some difficulties, this new methodology opens an interesting avenue for future research in children’s drawings and visual art.