The “Past” is Sweet: An Investigation into the Aesthetic and Affective Experience of Paintings

Abstract

This study explored the relationship between nostalgia and aesthetic evaluations of visual art in the form of landscape paintings. Participants evaluated a hundred different paintings for the level of nostalgia they evoked, their beauty, positive and negative valences, arousal, and familiarity. The results indicated an association between feelings of nostalgia and beauty. Furthermore, nostalgia correlated differently with the positive and negative valences; there was a positive and negative correlation between nostalgia and positive and negative valences, respectively. Positive correlations were also observed between nostalgia and arousal and familiarity. Additionally, the paintings’ intrinsic memorability was assessed and found to have a borderline significant impact on nostalgia ratings. Interestingly, the higher the memorability of a painting, the lower the likelihood of nostalgic feelings occurring. In summation, this study sheds light on the associations between affective and aesthetic experiences using a relatively under-studied medium of triggering nostalgic feelings—paintings.