Abstract
Eye tracking research in art viewership is often conducted in a laboratory setting where reproductions must be used in place of original art works and the viewing environment is less natural than in a museum. Recent technological developments have made museum studies possible but head-mounted eye tracking gear and interruptions by researchers still influence the experience of the viewer. In order to find a more ecologically valid way of recording eye movements while viewing artworks, we employed a prototype of a calibrationfree remote eye tracker hidden below selected paintings at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Museum visitors were unaware of the study and informed post hoc that we had registered their viewing behavior and asked to give consent for the use of their data. This article presents the study design as well as results from over 800 participants. While the data quality from the eye tracker prototype was not sufficient to conduct the intended analysis on within-painting gaze movements, this study might serve as a step towards an unobtrusive examination of the art viewing experience. It was possible to analyze time spent viewing paintings and those results show that certain paintings consistently drew significantly more prolonged attention from viewers.
Highlights
Eye tracking is a relevant method for the investigation of art reception as the eye is crucial in our interaction with visual artworks
The primary goal of the study was twofold: (1) to compare viewing time of participants under these less obtrusive conditions with past studies and (2) to conduct more in-depth analysis on where participants looked within each painting, looking for any variation based on visitor demographics, namely gender and culture
The difference in viewing time suggests that there is something about certain artworks themselves that
Summary
Eye tracking is a relevant method for the investigation of art reception as the eye is crucial in our interaction with visual artworks. The typical encounter between the viewer and an artwork occurs in a museum. Until recently, eye tracking investigations of the perception of artworks were only possible in laboratory settings, using reproductions of artworks that are most often viewed on a screen. The lab setting is a far cry from the natural museum environment: the artworks are not original; the context. Received August 11, 2020; Published November 10, 2020. Testing a Calibration-Free Eye Tracker Prototype at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
