ABSTRACT
A common feature of the studies described is that they use as stimuli reproductions of original compositions by renowned artists and experimentally manipulated less well-balanced versions of each. Reactions to the expressiveness of the compositions were less frequent after the initial global response whereas such reactions accounted for 41% of participants’ first impression of the composition. Finally, informal analysis of the data revealed a strong relationship between the pictorial field under scrutiny and the content of participants’ verbal responses to the work. Informal analysis of the data revealed a strong relationship between the pictorial field under scrutiny and the content of participants’ verbal responses to the work. A visual image such as a painting is balanced when its elements are grouped or organized in such a way that their perceptual forces compensate one another.
