Children see art differently – our eye-tracking research shows how museums and art classes can capture their attention

Adults and children view art in completely different ways.

Carrying out research at Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum in 2017, my colleagues and I found that when adults look at an artwork, they are guided by their existing knowledge and expectations. For example, when observing Van Gogh’s View of Auvers, adults’ attention may be captured by the distinctive brushstrokes they associate with the artist’s other iconic works.

But we found that children take a different view. Free from the social and cultural frameworks that shape adult perception, they are driven by stimuli such as bright colours or bold shapes. For instance, when viewing Van Gogh’s Daubigny’s Garden, they are naturally drawn to the red roses that stand out against the green background.