Art Appreciation as a Learned Competence - A Museum-based Qualitative Study of Adult Art Specialist and Art Non-Specialist Visitors

Oct 15, 2026

A qualitative museum-based study examines art appreciation as a learned competence by comparing adult art specialist visitors with adult art non-specialist visitors at Moderna galerija in Ljubljana. Twenty-three participants were recruited and asked to think out loud during visits, with short pre-visit interviews to capture their art- and museum-related experiences. Findings show both groups physically and intellectually engage with artworks, experience emotional responses, and use personal experience and museum interpretation, while specialists demonstrate greater understanding and effort.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Study Design and Participants

Analytical Framework and Key Findings

Implications for Art Teaching and Museum Education

Art Appreciation as a Learned Competence: A Museum-based Qualitative Study of Adult Art Specialist and Art Non-Specialist Visitors Rajka Bračun Sova1 • Since Bourdieu, it has been argued that art appreciation requires“knowledge”. The focus of this qualitative study was to examine art appreciation as a learned competence by exploring two different groups of museum visitors: art specialists and art non-specialists. The research was conducted at Moderna galerija in Ljubljana. Twenty-three adults were recruited and accompanied during their visit to the museum. Participants were requested to “think out loud”, which meant to talk about what they saw, thought, and felt about the artworks. There was a short interview conducted with each participant before entering the museum to gain insight into their art-related and museum-visiting experience. The analysis of the data revealed that some processes of art appreciation were similar within the two groups. Both art specialists and art nonspecialists interact with museum objects physically and intellectually; they see contents and formal qualities as a whole; they respond emotionally to artworks; appreciation includes their personal experience; they search museum interpretation/information for their understanding. Some noticeable differences were found. Art specialists respond to artworks with more understanding and are willing to put more effort into art appreciation, whereas art non-specialists respond with less understanding and put less effort into art appreciation. This paper focuses on the differences between the two groups; reflective and spontaneous appreciation of art, objective and subjective appreciation of art and the effort put into art appreciation. The paper ends with a discussion of the implications of the study for the teaching of art and museum education. Keywords: art appreciation, adult museum visitors, art specialists, art non-specialists, competence 1 Pedagoginja v kulturi in kustosinja [Educator in culture and curator]; [rajkabracun@gmail.com](rajkabracun@gmail.com) Likovna apreciacija kot privzgojena zmožnost: muzejska kvalitativna študija odraslih obiskovalcev – poznavalcevin nepoznavalcev likovne umetnosti Rajka Bračun Sova • Od Bourdieuja je znano, da likovna apreciacija (človekovo doživljanjeoziroma razumevanje likovnih umetnin) zahteva »znanje« . Ta kvalitativna študija se osredinja na raziskovanje likovne apreciacije kot privzgojenezmožnosti, in sicer tako, da preučujemo dve različni skupini muzejskih obiskovalcev: poznavalce in nepoznavalce likovne umetnosti. Raziskava je potekala v Moderni galeriji v Ljubljani. Sodelovalo je triindvajset odraslih, pri čemer smo jih spremljali med njihovim obiskom muzeja. Udeležence smo prosili, da »mislijo na glas«, kar pomeni, da govorijo o tem, kar vidijo, razmišljajo in čutijo ob ogledovanju umetnin. Pred obiskom muzeja smo vsakega udeleženca tudi intervjuvali, da bi pridobili vpogled v njihove izkušnje, povezane z likovno umetnostjo in obiskovanjem muzejev. Analiza podatkov je pokazala, da so nekateri procesi doživljanjaoziroma razumevanja umetnin pri obeh skupinah podobni. Poznavalci innepoznavalci vstopajo v interakcijo z muzejskimi predmeti na fizični in intelektualni ravni; vsebino in formalne značilnosti doživljajo kot celoto; na umetniška dela se čustveno odzivajo; v svoja doživljanja umetnin vnašajo osebne izkušnje; v procesu razumevanja umetnin iščejo muzejsko interpretacijo oziroma informacije. Odkrili pa smo tudi nekatere opaznerazlike. Poznavalci umetniška dela bolj razumejo in so pripravljeni vložiti več v doživljanje umetnin, medtem ko nepoznavalci umetniška delamanj razumejo in v doživljanje umetnin vložijo manj. V tem članku se osredinjamo na razlike med obema skupinama: reflektivno in spontano doživljanje oziroma razumevanje umetnosti, nepristransko in pristransko doživljanje oziroma razumevanje umetnosti ter vložek v doživljanjeoziroma razumevanje umetnosti. Prispevek se konča s pomenom štu

FAQs

What is the main focus of the study?

The study examines art appreciation as a learned competence by comparing two groups of adult museum visitors: art specialists and art non-specialists.

How were participants engaged during the museum visit?

Participants were asked to “think out loud,” meaning they verbalized what they saw, thought, and felt about the artworks, and they completed a short interview before entering the museum.

What differences did the study find between specialists and non-specialists?

Both groups engage in similar appreciation processes, but art specialists show more understanding and are willing to put more effort into art appreciation, while non-specialists show less understanding and less effort.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Indoniesian Boy