Simple Pleasures: The Psychological Aesthetics of High and Popular Art

Abstract

Popular Art, typically rejected by high art patrons, consists of technically skilled but sentimentalized images of wildlife, country life, and family life. Major themes and features of popular art are discussed. In a series of studies, viewers without art background focused on warm, pleasant feelings to justify choice of popular images, whereas experienced viewers focused on the structure of the work to justify preference for high art images. Preference for popular art was associated with the general belief that good art provides immediate pleasure to a wide audience. The ways in which popular art violates high art rules, such as the requirement for disinterested contemplation, are outlined.