In the Eye of the Beholder: Contemporary Art and Personality Types

“There’s no accounting for taste.”

But is there? What is it about a work of art that attracts or repels us? How do our personalities shape our response?

The earliest evidence of human civilization is found in cave paintings dating back thousands of years, and artistic practice evolved over millennia into today’s mode. Many contemporary artists approach their creative work in new and abstract ways that leave the viewer to suggest their own meaning.

To explore these ideas, we asked our readers whether they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: “You are not interested in contemporary works of art.” While a majority of respondents of every type showed an interest in contemporary art overall, some personality traits were found to influence the way people responded. We examine how these traits are expressed in our personality types, roles and strategies below.

Types

Predictably, Observant and Thinking personalities held higher scores against their counterparts. 48.64% of Observant respondents and 47.20% of Thinking ones agreed with the statement, as opposed to 34.67% and 36.92% of Intuitive and Feeling types, respectively.

The sizeable gap between Observant and Intuitive types allows us to make an assumption that Intuitive types might be more willing to look deeper into the meaning of contemporary art to find significance, when compared to Observant types who are more likely to trust the tried and tested. Looking at a piece of contemporary art, an Observant type might see an unfamiliar style lacking any reference to their own experience, while an Intuitive viewer might see an opening into new experience and possibilities. Observant types tend to think practically, and contemporary art often requires a more nuanced reception.

Similarly, Thinking personalities prefer logic to emotion, and it is rarely possible to explain a piece of contemporary art from a purely rational perspective. With Thinking types embracing factual reasoning, it’s no surprise that the ambiguous nature of contemporary art is less to their taste.

The other three scales did not show significant differences in this case, although it is worth highlighting a couple of interesting exceptions. Curiously, Assertive Mediators (INFP-A) were clearly less interested in contemporary art than their Turbulent counterparts, with scores of 34.23% and 28.03% respectively. In the Explorer group, the scores for Virtuosos (ISTP) were even more surprising – 60.43% of Assertive Virtuosos said that contemporary art was not of their taste, being the most resistant to it among all types; however, Turbulent Virtuosos were less convinced, with 49.35% of them sharing the same view.

Roles

Analysts, who are more generally associated with scientific endeavors than artistic ones, were fairly split on the question: 42.32% agreed they were not interested in contemporary art. When examining contemporary art, Analysts’ considered and rational point of view may be at odds with their independent streak and open sense of curiosity, making them more inclined than Sentinels or Explorers to give newer works of art a chance.

Diplomats agreed the least out of all the roles – only 30.69% said they were not interested in contemporary works of art. As Intuitive and Feeling types, Diplomats find curiosity, imagination and soul-stirring impressions essential to their lives, and their strong need for harmony makes them the most likely to search for value in a contemporary work.

Sentinels were the most likely to respond as not interested in contemporary art, with 48.76% agreeing. Practical by nature, Sentinels are drawn towards work following the more traditional rules of art, which the avant-garde flout. Contemporary art tends to stray from the norm of previous eras, both in abstract painting and physical art, and in online culture and new digital media. Sentinels may believe art belongs on a more traditional, physical plane.

The Explorer role seemed to have a similar attitude, despite the more open nature that their Prospecting trait lends them, with 48.40% of respondents in this group agreeing. Though less concerned with conforming to tradition, Explorers may look for art that nevertheless has an immediate, readily identifiable purpose, as opposed to art for art’s sake. They may also simply look for colors and shapes that are more naturally pleasing to the eye – hardly a guarantee in the world of contemporary art.

Strategies

Unlike the four personality roles, there was little appreciable difference among the four strategies. Although there is certainly a social, external component to some aspects of art appreciation – attending readings and gallery shows, purchasing works and displaying them in the home – our initial interest in art seems to be an internal, emotional response.

Final Touches

The relatively small margins between groups responding to this question may indicate that while few people are willing to dismiss contemporary art entirely, personality type is only part of the story of how we value it. However, the differences still appear to illustrate certain tendencies: those who are resistant to novelty are more likely to discount newer works than those who crave it. While we may not be able to definitively account for taste, these results are nonetheless intriguing.

Beauty is ultimately in the eye of the beholder. Contemporary art requires a certain kind of imagination and willingness to entertain abstract concepts. Furthermore, art takes patience: some personality types may see art – contemporary or otherwise – as beautiful but not warranting deep interest.