Is art resonance predictable?

Painting themes that inspire

During a boom in creativity I made many quick abstract paintings, hoping the themes could inspire others. It was free expression without restriction. Colors carried the emotional weight hidden behind years of focusing solely on shape and form.

Digitizing color palettes

By creating a tool to digitize the palettes I used, there was now an easy method to quickly identify which swatches were the most prevalent in any piece. Dominant groups could be sorted and displayed proportionally, making it easy to determine what codes specifically were the most visible.

Revealing the analytics

This information can be inserted into a secondary layer that reveals specified analytics for the color of choice.

Depending on the selected number of colors extracted, roughly 13-30% of the image is a vibrant red tone. Based on demographic insights (Hemphill, 1996), women prefer this tone (58%) as opposed to men (42%). Additionally, it's preferred by 65% of those ages 18-25. (Kaya & Epps, 2004)

Analytics in practice

Social analytics reveal if this is consistent in practice. Keeping in mind that the post of this artwork engages the viewer to watch painting content that 'heals my inner child', it's interesting to consider that the audience is overwhelmingly female (82% on TikTok and 86% on Shorts). In addition to gender, the age demographics also align well (51% of viewers are 18-24 on TikTok and 30% of total viewers on Shorts are women 18-24). Interestingly, the muted blue also found in the work is preferred by an older demographic, perhaps nudge that makes women 25-34 the largest audience segment on Shorts at 31.2%. Is it unsurprising that I'm part of this group?

If we continue to apply the data to the primary color in the artwork, interest in it could be attributed to attention grabbing characteristics or even effectiveness in winter. You can dive deeper into the data at: https://www.achromaticrealm.com/color-insights

Insight

Art content is supported by a demographic with aligned color preferences.

Further research and data comparison could reveal how complex palettes appeal the most to specific demographics. A more complete approach to this analysis may enable messaging that facilitates further engagement.

If you have a contribution to this topic please contact achromaticrealm@gmail.com to get involved!