Familiar and Fluent! Style-Related Processing Hypotheses in Aesthetic Appreciation

Abstract

In order to discover general laws in the appreciation of artworks, an explanation of the mere-exposure hypothesis is extended to features which are typical of artworks. Artistic style—the way things are depicted—is discussed as a possible dimension along which increasing familiarity reveals changes in the preference structure. Empirical data from studies in which familiarity and style were varied seem to support the main hypothesis, but also reveal specific limitations. Generally, the pictorial fluency of an artificial style affected appreciation more than familiarity with a given style.