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    "People are gazing” - An interpretive phenomenological analysis of viewing Velázquez

    Starr, Rachel and Smith, Jonathan A. (2021) "People are gazing” - An interpretive phenomenological analysis of viewing Velázquez. Art and Perception 9 (3), pp. 241-259. ISSN 2213-4913.

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    Abstract

    What is it like to look at a painting? Research into art-viewing raises challenging considerations. Factors concerning the artwork, the viewer, the role of context, as well as conceptualisation of the response and how to measure it, present a wealth of complexity. Although such a topic might arguably lend itself to qualitative exploration, work of this type is notably sparse. In the research reported here, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to explore the experience of looking at a painting. 12 participants were individually interviewed whilst viewing Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez. Three Master Themes were developed, the first of which ‘The Gaze’ is presented in depth. Experiences of looking and being looked at by figures in the image are described and considered in relation to social and philosophical understandings of eye contact, seeing and being seen.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    Keyword(s) / Subject(s): Art-viewing, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Paintings, Gaze
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science > School of Psychological Sciences
    Depositing User: Jonathan Smith
    Date Deposited: 06 Jul 2021 15:31
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 18:10
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/44407

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