The emotions that art provokes, under study

Writing/Raúl García Hémonnet

With the transformative power of art as a starting point, Quirónsalud, the Rey Juan Carlos University and the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum launch pioneering research that seeks to discover the emotions that works of art unconsciously produce in the people who use them. observe, to explore the health benefits of these influences. With 'Emotions through art', the museum – as a center of artistic wealth –, Quirónsalud – as a leading health group in Spain – and the Rey Juan Carlos University – as an educational and research center – collaborate in the creation of attractive resources for the public and also useful from both a social and personal point of view.

In the rooms of the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, the agreement was signed between the three institutions, with the presence of Dr. Cristina Caramés, Corporate Care and Research Director of Quirónsalud, Javier Ramos López, Rector of the Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC ), Fernando Enrique García Muiña, vice-rector for Research, Innovation and Transfer of the URJC, and Evelio Acevedo, managing director of the museum.

In collaboration with researchers Ana Reyes, professor of Business Economics at the URJC and Rebeca Antolín, professor at the UCM specialized in Advertising Creativity, Digital Marketing, New Media and Audiovisual Platforms. and through biometric analysis, neuromarketing and consumer behavior techniques, this study will identify the predominant emotions produced by more than 200 works of art in a sample of a hundred people, which includes Quirónsalud patients. These 200 works cover all periods and the main styles present in the Thyssen-Bornemisza and Carmen Thyssen collections.

This research is possible thanks to artificial intelligence and biometric analysis techniques that allow us to identify the unconscious emotions that occur when observing a painting. A camera collects facial expressions and encodes them into emotions using an algorithm. In addition, this metric is combined with the psychogalvanic response of the skin, that is, the microdroplets of sweat that are produced when experiencing an emotion, and is combined with the information obtained through eyetracking, a device that collects people's eye movements while They look at the painting. Each of the works of art analyzed will be classified into eight basic emotions, which will allow us to answer questions that until now are unknown: How do we interact with the works of art? What part of the painting do you look at first? What elements capture attention based on those emotions?

The results of this study will be available throughout 2025 through a catalog classifying paintings by emotions, a scientific article, and the museum's website, where visitors will be able to explore the works in the collection from a perspective based on emotions and through audiovisual pieces that will show both the research process and its conclusions.

“At Quirónsalud we work every day to build together a future of health and well-being for people. And we do it based on scientific evidence, and taking care of the patient experience in detail, hence collaborating on initiatives like this can help us discover how art can help improve health,” explained Dr. Cristina Caramés, healthcare director. and Quirónsalud research.

Fernando García Muiña, vice-rector for Research, Innovation and Transfer of the URJC, commented that “this project represents a perfect symbiosis between science, art and technology, in which it is studied how art has the capacity to evoke a wide range of emotions. in people. For the Rey Juan Carlos University, collaborating with highly prestigious entities such as the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and Quirónsalud is a privilege. Our conception of a multidisciplinary University opens a wide range of future collaborations, which will benefit the well-being of society.”

And for his part, Evelio Acevedo, managing director of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, said: "We are delighted to announce and support this exciting initiative in collaboration with Quirónsalud and the Rey Juan Carlos University. The transformative power of art is undeniable, and this Pioneering research will allow us to delve deeper into the emotional impact our works have on the public. We are excited by the opportunity to offer our visitors a new emotional perspective on our collection and hope that this project inspires our audiences both socially and personally. “This project is a testament to the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum’s commitment to innovation and a deeper understanding of art, as well as the transformative impact it can have on our lives.”

An important project that reinforces the multidisciplinary character of the Rey Juan Carlos University.