Study finds pointing fingers in paintings affects what we look at

By Stephen Beech

Pointing gestures in Old Master paintings "significantly" influence how viewers look at them, suggests a new study.

People looking at the works of art are "drawn" to the faces of the pointing characters, say scientists.

Eye tracking experiments revealed that depicted pointing gestures increase attention to the pointer's face, target areas and narrative connections.

The pointing finger, one of the most common human gestures, appears frequently in Old Master paintings as a guiding cue.

For centuries, artists and art historians assumed that such gestures effectively direct the gaze of the beholder toward key details of the story.

However, until now, its influence on viewers' gaze had never been systematically investigated.

Researchers at the University of Vienna in Austria, used eye-tracking methods to analyse whether and how viewers' eyes follow pointing gestures in works by renowned artists including Rembrandt, Raphael, Giorgione and Caravaggio.

French researcher Dr. Temenuzhka Dimova, a specialist in the language of gestures in art, conducted the study at the University of Vienna to investigate whether and how pointing fingers actually influence visual perception.

Dr. Dimova selected a series of 16th and 17th Century paintings containing multiple pointing hands and created altered versions of the works in which the pointing fingers were digitally removed.

She then presented the original and edited images to two different groups of viewers and compared their eye movements.

Dr. Dimova said: "The experiment shows that pointing gestures shape visual attention, but not in the expected linear way.

"Although the fingers are barely noticed, they spark curiosity about the faces of pointing figures and reshape narrative connections.

"They also draw the gaze toward the area indicated by the gesture, but the exact choice of target remains flexible."

The findings, published in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, revealed that, although the pointing finger itself is a relatively small element within complex narrative scenes, it has a strong impact on visual exploration.

Participants who viewed the original "pointing" versions showed significantly different eye-movement patterns from those who viewed the “no-pointing” versions.

Dr. Dimova said: "Interestingly, viewers did not spend much time looking directly at the fingers.

"Instead, they consistently examined the faces of the pointing figures.

"The identity and emotional expressions of these characters became an important focus of attention.

"Another effect concerned the areas toward which the fingers were directed.

"These regions attracted more attention in the original versions of the paintings.

"However, viewers sometimes confused the intended target with nearby elements.

"In other words, pointing gestures triggered careful examination of particular areas, but did not always guarantee correct identification of the historical or narrative target.

"Finally, pointing gestures indirectly shaped the overall viewing process by creating unexpected visual connections between different characters and objects.

"The narrative relationships within the paintings were processed differently depending on whether the pointing fingers were present or absent."

She added: "Overall, the study demonstrates that depicted pointing gestures strongly influence viewers' attention, but not in the simple, linear way previously assumed.

"Rather than guiding the gaze directly from point A, the finger, to point B, the target, they systematically restructure how the entire story is perceived, leading to a richer and more informed visual experience of Old Master paintings.

"These findings can inform museum display strategies and art education by highlighting how subtle visual cues shape viewers' attention and interpretation.

"They also offer valuable insights for contemporary visual communication, from digital design to storytelling, by revealing how gestures can structure the way images are explored and understood."