Gestures of Compassion
Empathy and Art
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00228/full
Existing theories of empathic response to visual art works postulate the primacy of automatic embodied reaction to images based on mirror neuron mechanisms. Arguing for a more inclusive concept of empathy-related response and integrating four distinct bodies of literature, we discuss contextual, and personal factors which modulate empathic response to depicted people. We then present an integrative model of empathy-related responses to depicted people in art works. The model assumes that a response to empathy-eliciting figural artworks engages the dynamic interaction of two mutually interlinked sets of processes: socio-affective/cognitive processing, related to the person perception, and esthetic processing, primarily concerned with esthetic appreciation and judgment and attention to non-social aspects of the image. The model predicts that the specific pattern of interaction between empathy-related and esthetic processing is co-determined by several sets of factors: (i) the viewer's individual characteristics, (ii) the context variables (which include various modes of priming by narratives and other images), (iii) multidimensional features of the image, and (iv) aspects of a viewer's response. Finally we propose that the model is implemented by the interaction of functionally connected brain networks involved in socio-cognitive and esthetic processing. …
A Model of Empathy within Art Experience
Having discussed several critical factors relating to empathic response to figural depiction, we now turn to outlining an integrated model of empathy-related response to figural art work. We present it as a heuristic device that seeks to organize the multiplicity of factors that determine emphatic response and to capture the embedding of empathy-related response within the broader art (pictorial) experience. The model represents—in a necessarily abstract manner—the engagement of a viewer with both original figural art work and its reproduction in either a private viewing situation or an experimental setting
Aesthetic Empathy
https://psyche.co/ideas/empathy-is-at-heart-an-aesthetic-appreciation-of-the-other
Empathy is an aesthetic practice that relies on our capacity to delight in, and respond with reverence to, the world around us
Today we think about empathy as a way to understand another’s experience. But when the English word ‘empathy’ first appeared in 1908 as a translation of the German Einfühlung, it denoted an aesthetic ability to appreciate objects and nature. What exactly is this surprising early version of empathy, and can we imagine empathy as an aesthetic practice today?
At the end of the 19th century, German psychologists defined Einfühlung as an aesthetic transfer of our subjective experiences into objects in the world. To empathise meant to project our feelings and movements into forms of art and nature. So, for instance, we transmitted our feelings of rising to the majestic reach of a mountain, we felt our own stretching in the limbs of a tree, and we projected our sense of expansiveness into the vault of a cathedral. One of the central theorists of empathy in this period, Theodor Lipps, declared that empathy fused our own imagined movements and emotions with the shapes around us, and was thus key to our appreciation of beauty. …..
To appreciate another’s experience in a disinterested manner does not mean we fail to act in light of human suffering and despair. However, without an expansive contemplation of the breadth of another’s experience, we might not discover effective interventions. Empathy thus marks the pause, or the moment of immersion that helps us to see clearly and to fully take in another’s situation without judgment. The insights gained through empathy can then be used in concert with our critical faculties to shape helpful actions.
Empathy as an aesthetic practice challenges our inclination to control and change, and instead asks us to open up a space for appreciation, a space that can be radically transformative.
Art: An Occupation With Promise for Developing Empathy
Empathy is central to the interactions of occupational therapists who value personal dignity. Persons from various sectors of the behavioral sciences and the medical humanities have proposed that engagement with the arts can develop empathy, an assumption that prompted this inquiry. The observations of artists and art philosophers suggest that the assumption that art may develop empathy is grounded in the kindred natures of the two practices and in the actions that occur when a person engages with a work of art. The assumption that art may develop empathy is grounded in the kinship of the actions common to both practices: response, emotion, and connection. Artists and art philosophers’ observations of human practices have uncovered three rules of art that may dispose one toward empathy: reliance on bodily senses, use of metaphor, and occupation by virtual worlds. Analysis of art’s potential suggests that a person who would derive empathy from art must (a) use the senses to grasp feeling, (b) stretch the imagination to see a new perspective, and (c) invite an occupation that enhances understanding. Persons who hope to develop empathy must pursue an experience that evokes the fellow feeling that inspires it. Art can offer this experience.
Acts of Kindness: Public Art | Michael Landy 2012
https://artinpublic.art/works/35/acts-of-kindness
Empathy and Communication through Art
https://rae.arts.ro/filecase/filetypes/documents/archive/rae14/18_paper.pdf
Art is one of the finest means of shaping the personality, of access to aesthetic and moral values of society. The paper presents some of the elements of communication through art, in the double sense of this process, from the artwork (creator) to the viewer, but also from the viwer to the work of art and creator. The key-element of this dual process is the empathy, the ability to feel the emotional states of others. It develops within a set of personality traits, including: emotional intelligence, emotional feelings diversity, cognitive skills, along with motivation and personal ideals. Art is a medium of communication but also an element of developing a general receptivity to the world and its authentic values.
Empathy and the Esthetic: Why does Art Still Move Us?
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10339-017-0836-3
In this article I will argue for the affective-motivation (background affective attitude or orientation) hypothesis that incubates the aesthetic experience and sets the deep frame of our engagement with art. For this, I look at these microgenetic—early passages of (a) affective perception as mapped into the early emergence of tertiary qualities that underlie a sensorimotor synchronization—a coupling of action, emotion and perception via mirroring that result in dynamic embodied anticipatory control and a feeling of proximity/connectedness and (b) developmental passages that are characterized by spatiotemporal coordination and proximity of the self-other/interactive object and thus structure intentionality, shape experience, in an engaging world of action potentialities forming a background affective attitude. As I will argue these qualitative emergent layers provide the minimal for the aesthetic and the ‘feeling into’ empathy, or their phenomenological counterparts enable engaged, embodied perception and imagination underlying expressive symbolic communication in interpersonal settings but also for the possibility of art. These layers have an ‘echoing’ effect (pre-attentive) when we let ourselves to be ‘moved’ from within by art. The underlying mechanism could be found in the mirroring interface of the upcoming bottom-up and feeding forward anticipatory/predictive (top-down) function of the ‘embodied action’ representations that are affective, imitative and grounded in the body-affective matrix—carrying experiential affordances and keeping the intersubjective ties between spectator and beheld/object. Given the asymmetry on action tendency between them that affords the ‘subordination of the goal-directed action’ into to the means of the action’s unfolding, aesthetic experiences can go deeply back reconstructing the first level of emerging consciousness where both the aesthetic and ethic became actualities. This could be by itself deeply rewarding, amplifying the experience to the ‘edge’. This is a ‘hot’ cognition self-restructuring related to morality when facing the sufferings—so there might be something special bout art and negative emotions in relation to empathy.
Art as a Vehicle for Compassion
Xu, N., 2021. Art as a Vehicle for Compassion. Arts Studies and Criticism, 2(4), pp.143-157.
I address the range of human experience and emotion in watercolor paintings. Watercolor, much like emotions, is unpredictable and requires special care to harness its infinitely varied and nuanced complexities. Creating such works requires forgiveness in how water and pigment interact, as well as the physical manifestation of subjective experience. These emotional paintings express topics ranging from gender and cultural identity, to mundane life experience. Vulnerability and empathy are required to portray hardship and loss in a manner that honors humanity’s lived experience. Working beyond the boundaries codified by narrative realism, this work seeks to offer a glimpse into the realm of the unknown. My primary themes focus on aspirations, secrets, and dreamlike qualities. For this reason, I call my work ethereal realism. These fleeting moments of inspiration, while difficult to grasp and attuned to distant memories, are fortified through an improvisational painting process. Using subtle symbolism in relation to nature and soft feminine figures, I invite the audience into an alternate space where trauma can be healed, and compassion takes hold. The paintings also make use of negative space, so that viewers can insert themselves in the paintings and infer what might lie beyond humanity. This work does not merely paint a picture of melancholy but opens a window to the divine. Keywords: watercolor, compassion, empathy, feminine, biography, complexity
Feeling Data - Aesthetic Empathy in Art and Science Collaborations
https://mnartists.walkerart.org/feeling-data-aesthetic-empathy-in-art-and-science-collaborations
How the immersive, sensory experience of art opens possibilities for "feeling into" the natural world and blurring the divides between self and others
For the past several years, I’ve worked closely with scientists to foster a sense of empathy for the natural world through contemporary art practice. From the standpoint of the operational definition of empathy—one of interpersonal perspective taking between humans—this is a difficult task. A century ago, however, “empathy” meant something quite different and was used primarily within aesthetic discourse. In the early 20th century, it was translated from the German word einfühlung, which meant simply, “in feeling.” It described the way our bodies relate to, take part in, and “feel into” works of art, nature, and objects.1 It’s why we would rise with mountains, be moved by paintings, or weep with willows.
This former definition of empathy—for the purposes of this discussion, aesthetic empathy—is an unconscious physiological reaction that causes us to enliven the world around us. It’s the visceral blurring of self and world that occurs when we experience something other than ourselves (fig. 1).
Amid working to foster empathy for the natural world, I’ve found myself feeling for scientific processes, research methods, and data sets. While aesthetic empathy has historically been reserved for art, nature, and objects, I believe we can feel it towards science and data—particularly when art is used to realize it as an object that we see ourselves in relation to (fig. 2).
From ‘Einfühlung’ to Empathy: Exploring the Relationship between Aesthetic and Interpersonal Experience
Some stuff from ChatGPT
Research directly linking drawing specifically to kindness is relatively limited compared to studies on other forms of art and their impact on emotions or behaviors. However, several studies suggest that engaging in creative activities like drawing can influence emotions, promote prosocial behavior, and foster social-emotional development, which are closely related to kindness. Here are some relevant findings:
1. Creative Activities and Prosocial Behavior
- Creativity and Emotional Regulation: Research suggests that engaging in creative activities, including drawing, can help individuals regulate their emotions, which can, in turn, lead to more prosocial behavior. A study by Tamlin S. Conner and colleagues (2018) published in *The Journal of Positive Psychology* found that engaging in everyday creative activities was associated with increased positive affect and flourishing, which can foster a more kind and generous outlook toward others.
- Art and Prosocial Behavior in Children: A study by Pamela Davis-Kean et al. (2008) in *The International Journal of Behavioral Development* explored how involvement in creative activities, including drawing, is linked to the development of prosocial behaviors in children. The study found that children who participated in creative activities tended to show higher levels of empathy and prosocial behavior, such as kindness and sharing, likely because these activities encourage perspective-taking and emotional expression.
2. Drawing and Emotional Expression
- Drawing as a Tool for Emotional Expression: Drawing is often used as a medium for children and adults to express emotions that they might find difficult to articulate verbally. Research shows that expressing emotions through drawing can lead to greater self-awareness and empathy, both of which are foundational to kindness. For example, a study by Jolley et al. (2004) in *The British Journal of Developmental Psychology* demonstrated that when children use drawing to express their feelings, they can better understand their own and others' emotions, potentially leading to kinder behavior.
- Therapeutic Benefits of Drawing: Art therapy, which often involves drawing, has been shown to help individuals process emotions, reduce stress, and develop greater empathy and understanding of others. Studies in art therapy, such as those summarized by Malchiodi (2007) in her book *The Art Therapy Sourcebook*, indicate that drawing can be a powerful tool for emotional healing and fostering a positive, kind attitude toward oneself and others.
3. Drawing and Social-Emotional Development
- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Art: Drawing, as part of broader social-emotional learning programs, has been shown to help children develop key social skills, including kindness. For instance, research conducted by CASEL (the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) indicates that SEL programs incorporating art activities like drawing help children learn to express emotions, understand others' perspectives, and engage in prosocial behaviors, such as acts of kindness and cooperation.
- Empathy Development through Drawing: Drawing tasks that involve creating images of others or illustrating stories can promote empathy and understanding. A study by Golomb (2004) in her book *The Child's Creation of a Pictorial World* suggests that when children are asked to draw characters in different emotional states or social situations, they tend to develop greater empathy and kindness because they are actively engaging with the thoughts and feelings of others.
4. Art Education and Kindness
- Impact of Art Education on Social Behavior: Art education programs that include drawing as a significant component have been found to promote positive social behaviors. A study by Burton, Horowitz, and Abeles (1999) in *Studies in Art Education* found that students involved in arts education, including drawing, were more likely to exhibit prosocial behaviors, such as cooperation, sharing, and kindness, compared to peers who were not as involved in the arts. The study suggests that the reflective and expressive nature of drawing can contribute to a more compassionate and kind approach to social interactions.
Conclusion
While direct research on drawing and kindness is somewhat limited, existing studies suggest that drawing, as part of broader creative and educational activities, can foster emotional expression, empathy, and prosocial behaviors, all of which are closely linked to kindness. Engaging in drawing can help individuals, particularly children, better understand and express their emotions, connect with others' feelings, and develop social skills that promote kindness and cooperation.
Research exploring the relationship between empathy and art has found that engaging with art can enhance empathy by allowing individuals to experience different perspectives, understand others’ emotions, and connect with the human condition. Here are some key studies and findings that illustrate this relationship:
1. Empathy through Narrative Art Forms
- Literature and Empathy: Numerous studies have explored how reading literature, particularly fiction, can increase empathy. A well-known study by psychologists David Comer Kidd and Emanuele Castano (2013) published in *Science* found that reading literary fiction improves Theory of Mind, which is the ability to understand others' mental states. This study suggests that complex characters and narratives in literature can help readers develop greater empathy by allowing them to step into the minds of others.
- Film and Empathy: Research by Cynthia A. Hoffner and Joanne Cantor (1991) examined how narrative films evoke emotional responses, including empathy, in viewers. Their study found that identification with characters and the emotional intensity of a narrative can enhance empathetic responses. Films that portray characters experiencing emotional or moral dilemmas often encourage viewers to empathize with those characters, leading to a deeper understanding of different perspectives.
2. Visual Arts and Empathy
- Empathy in Visual Arts: A study conducted by Kapoula et al. (2011) in the journal *PLoS One* explored how viewing artwork, particularly portraits, can evoke empathetic responses. They found that when viewers looked at portraits, they often experienced a form of empathic engagement, imagining the emotions and thoughts of the subjects depicted in the artwork. This suggests that visual art can serve as a medium for experiencing and understanding the emotions of others.
- Art Museums and Empathy: Research by Jodi Halpern and Jessica Holt (2017) focused on art museums as spaces that foster empathy. Their study, published in *The Journal of Museum Education*, found that when museums deliberately create experiences that encourage visitors to reflect on the lives and emotions of others, they can increase empathy. For instance, exhibits that focus on social issues, such as human rights, often provoke empathetic responses from visitors.
3. Music and Empathy
- Music’s Emotional Resonance: Studies on music have shown that it can evoke powerful emotions and facilitate empathy. Research by Rabinowitch, Cross, and Burnard (2013) explored how group music-making can enhance empathic accuracy, or the ability to accurately perceive others' emotions. Their findings, published in *Psychology of Music*, suggest that collaborative music-making promotes empathy by requiring participants to synchronize emotionally and mentally with others.
- Empathy Development in Children: A study by Overy and Molnar-Szakacs (2009) in *Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences* examined how musical experiences can promote empathy in children. They found that engaging with music, especially in a group context, helps children develop empathy by fostering a sense of connection and understanding with others.
4. Empathy in Performing Arts
- Theatre and Empathy: Research by Matthew Reason (2010), published in *Research in Drama Education*, investigated how participation in and viewing of theatre can enhance empathy. His study found that theatre allows both actors and audience members to explore complex emotional landscapes and social issues, leading to increased empathy. The immersive and live nature of theatre makes it a powerful medium for experiencing the emotions and perspectives of others.
- Dance and Empathy: A study by Jola, Ehrenberg, and Reynolds (2012) explored the relationship between dance and empathy, finding that dance, particularly contemporary dance, can evoke strong empathetic responses in viewers. The study suggested that the physicality and expressiveness of dance allow audiences to connect with the emotions of the performers on a visceral level.
5. Empirical and Experimental Studies
- Neuroscience and Empathy: Neuroscientific studies have examined how the brain responds to art in ways that are related to empathy. For example, a study by Freedberg and Gallese (2007) introduced the concept of “embodied simulation” in art, where viewers experience a kind of bodily empathy when observing visual art, particularly representations of the human form. This research indicates that the mirror neuron system, which is linked to empathy, can be activated when viewing art.
- Art Interventions and Empathy: Research by Bal and Veltkamp (2013) in the journal *Psychological Science* studied the impact of art interventions on empathy. Their experiment found that individuals who engaged with emotionally compelling art experienced an increase in empathy, suggesting that art can serve as a tool for empathy training or development.
Conclusion
The relationship between empathy and art is well-supported by a range of studies across different artistic forms. Engaging with art, whether through literature, visual arts, music, theatre, or dance, can foster empathy by helping individuals to connect with the emotions and perspectives of others. This research suggests that art not only reflects the human experience but also plays an active role in shaping our capacity for empathy and understanding.