Empirics vs. art theory: Exploring a factor structure of pictorial expression based on contemporary artworks

Abstract

As a transdisciplinary questionnaire combining psychometrics and art theory, RizbA enables a quantitative measurement of pictorial expression in terms of a formal image analysis. This study explores its factor structure and a potential gap between theory and empirics.The sample consists of 275 contemporary pictorial works by artists and nonprofessionals, rated by 179 experts in a randomized online survey. Three path models were specified and computed as CFA: models A and B based on the results of the two previous studies, model C on the theoretical framework of the initial study. Model C was additionally tested on a combined dataset of all three studies.While models A and B did not converge, model C was associated with fit indices as follows: