What Kind of Paintings Do You Like?

British psychologists have looked for associations between people’s artistic preferences and their personalities, and published their findings in the British Journal of Psychology.

Over 90,000 participants, aged 13 to 90, completed surveys on the types of paintings they preferred, and completed the “Big Five” personality inventory.

The artistic styles offered for preference were: abstract, cubism, renaissance, Japanese, impressionism, and secular Islamic art. The five personality traits included were: openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and neuroticism. (You can take the Big Five inventory online, if you wish.)

The strongest link between personality and art preference was with ‘openness’ – these people gave the highest levels of liking for all types of paintings.  This was explained by the psychologists as being because people with high openness are more imaginative and creative, and seek new experiences; low scorers are more down-to-earth and more practical.

More conscientious persons liked all types of paintings less than most people. Agreeable and conscientious people had higher scores for impressionistic paintings. Those high in extroversion preferred cubism more than most, with men liking cubism more than women. Males and younger participants tended to prefer renaissance paintings.

Was this an important finding? Only if you’re an art gallery manager, I guess, and know what sort of people live in your neighborhood. But I expect the study received a government grant from taxpayer funds . . .