Citation:

Carlos Alejandro Ponzio. "Beauty and Creativity in Choice and Ranking Experiments" International Research Journal of Economics and Management Studies, Vol. 3, No. 12, pp. 122-131, 2024.

Abstract:

For economists, the job of artists is to embody creativity in their works of art. In fact, a recent handbook on cultural economics states that the concept of creativity seems to be, at the very least, a hallmark or characteristic feature of art generally, if not a necessary condition of artistic practice (Borowiecki, 2020). However, Creativity as Art is more a 20th-century biased definition of Art, because from the ancient Greeks to at least the 19th century, Art was valued for its Beauty, according to Philosopher’s records. This paper carries out several choice and ranking experiments. Experimental subjects are asked to grade and rank paintings according to their perceived Beauty, Creativity, Complexity, Novelty, Interestingness and Expensiveness and then asked to choose among the paintings. The paper finds that the individual’s preferences for Art can be represented by a simple linear combination of the individual’s perception of Beauty and Creativity in Art. This may potentially explain the shift from Beauty to Creativity in 20th century Art for the artist’s sake of novelty and transcendence in the History of Art.

References:

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[56] Here we may include McCain (2006)’s concept of joint creativity between creator and spectator to interpret a work of art. And to that, as an example, I may add the following: Confronting a piece of art may bring to the consumer a memory of an experience which awakens positive emotions. And that conscious or unconscious “click” may be all the consumer needs to find a work interesting and enjoyable.
[57] This section draws heavily from Hutter and Shusterman (2006).
[58] Hutter and Shusterman (2006).
[59] My own Reading and interpretation of Huuter and Shusterman (2006).
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[65] The standard treatment of this topic can be found in textbooks like Mas-Colell, Whinston and Green (1995), and Kreps (2012).
[66] Students of Economics and a master’s Program in Finance.
[67] As in the case of the 2 paintings.
[68] Monetary compensation was $20 pesos, which is approximately equivalent to a ten-minute working period for a recent graduate. Some subjects were paid while others were not due to the budget constraint. This may have affected the effort put by each subject in grading the paintings.
[69] The objective of having some participants receive an explanation and others do not is to facilitate the conclusion that some of the ugly paintings are more creative than the more beautiful paintings. Since the results are different for each group, this suggests that the role of art critique is important and significant in the world of art.
[70] For instance, Painting 1 vs. Painting 2, Painting 1 vs. Painting 3, etcetera.

Keywords:

Beauty, Creativity, Preferences for Art, Ranking Experiments.