Exploring the Impact of Virtual Reality on Painting Appreciation

This study aimed to explore the experience of painting appreciation through desktop virtual reality (VR) and a heads-up display (HTC Vive) and compare it with those of a physical painting and album. The study included 52 university students who viewed paintings in all four environments and answered a subjective feelings questionnaire. The results show that the physical paintings generated more positive emotions, such as pleasure, relaxation, and calmness, than virtual paintings. Additionally, the physical paintings were perceived and evaluated as more original, attractive, and valuable. Moreover, among the virtual paintings, the landscape paintings were more popular than abstract ones, whereas among the physical paintings, the abstract paintings were preferred. The head-mounted display made the participants feel uncertain about moving in the physical environment, and the transmission line connecting it to the computer limited their movements. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the quality and ease of interactions in VR environments to make virtual paintings appear as impressive as physical ones.