Scientists believe they have unlocked the secret behind the fame of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, after measuring the effect of the work on the brains of those who contemplate it.
The Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague, which houses the world-famous work, asked neuroscientists to measure the brain activity of spectators viewing the portrait as well as other works on display at the facility.
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They concluded that the viewer finds themselves caught in what they call a “Sustained Attentional Loop,” a neurological phenomenon that scientists believe is unique to “Girl with a Pearl Earring.”
Indeed, the viewer’s gaze is initially drawn to the young girl’s eye. It then moves towards her mouth, slides towards the pearl, and back up towards the eye – and so on.
A unique study of its kind
This attention loop is why we linger on this painting longer than the others, explains Martin De Munnik, of the research company Neurensics which conducted the study. “You’re obligated to pay attention whether you want to or not,” he added.
By measuring participants’ brain activity, scientists also discovered strong stimulation of the precuneus, the part of the brain that governs consciousness and personal identity. According to him, this is the first study of its type to use electroencephalogram (EEG) and MRI technologies to measure a neurological reaction to a work of art.
The scientists also compared the brain’s reaction when the viewer looks at the original painting in the museum and when looking at a reproduction. They found that the emotion felt by the viewer was ten times stronger than for a poster.
To carry out their study, the scientists attached an eye sensor and electrodes around the heads of each of the 10 participants in order to monitor their brain activity when faced with original paintings and reproductions.
“The brain does not lie”
Martine Gosselink, director of the Mauritshuis, believes that these discoveries underline the importance of going to the museum to see original works. “It’s very important to be interested in art, whether it’s photography, dance or works from the Dutch Golden Age,” she said, judging that “the brain don’t lie.”
In his works, Vermeer often draws attention to a specific point, painting the surrounding details in a blurred manner, explains Martine Gosselink.
However, “Girl with a Pearl Earring” has three points of focus: the eye, the mouth and the pearl. According to the museum director, this sets it apart from the painter’s other works. “Here we see someone really looking at you, whereas in every other Vermeer painting you see someone writing or doing needlework,” she said.
Martin De Munnik judges that it would be interesting to carry out similar studies on other famous paintings, such as Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. “People sometimes call The Girl with a Pearl Earring the Mona Lisa of the North, but I think times change, so maybe the Mona Lisa has become the Girl of the South,” jokes Martine Gosselink.
