Title: Recognizing Mona Lisa from a bunch of circles: an eye tracking study
Authors: Fernando González Perilli1,2, Anna Vilaró3, Natalia Villalobos2, Fulvio Capurso2 , Leticia Montes2, Rocío Goñi2 , Emiliano Fernández2 and Ana Pires2,3.
1 Facultad de Información y Comunicación (Universidad de la República)  
2 Centro de Investigación Básica en Psicología (Universidad de la República) 
3 Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona 

Abstract:
The way we look at the world is mostly guided by the visual characteristics of the scene, but also by our previous experiences and knowledge. Thus, when contemplating an art picture we implicitly carry out perceptual strategies that might modulate the data-driven processing by taking into account the ideas, experiences, cultural background and concepts related to that perceived scene. 

In the present study our aim was to explore gaze patterns differences between the observers that recognized or not the image of Mona Lisa on an abstract version of the classical painting (Mona Lisa Remix by Gary Andrew Clarke, 2009, composed by 150 small solid color circles – see figure).  The image was presented for seven seconds while eye movements were registered. Fifty participants were asked to press a key if they were able to recognize “something in the picture”. 

Our results (fixation count on areas of interest) showed that recognizers (around 50% of participants) were most guided by top-down processing, i.e., they looked at the area of the circles that correspond to the face, in a similar fashion as when they look at the Mona Lisa original painting. This might mean that they were looking to the “imaginary face” in the abstract picture. Conversely, the no recognizers used mostly a bottom-up strategy, i.e., they were attracted by the saliency and contrast between the circles, and for that reason, they looked more to the chest (the area with more contrast).

These findings suggest that the way people observe abstract paintings it is greatly guided by their previous knowledge which changes the way they look directing their gaze to some specific regions or traits. How recognition arises from the perception of an abstract pattern or why some people is capable of recognize or not are still puzzling phenomena. The present study intends to shed light in these matters.

Mona Lisa Remixed by Gary Andrew Clarke (2009)