Composition and Symmetries - Computational Analysis of Fine-Art Aesthetics

This article deals with the problem of quantitative research of the aesthetic content of the fine-art object. The paper states that a fine-art object is a conceptually formed sequence of signs, and its composition is a structural form, that can be measured using mathematical models. The main approach is based on the perception of the formal order as a determinant of the aesthetic category of beauty. The composition of the image is directly related to the formation of aesthetic sensations and values, since it performs the function of controlling the viewer's perception of a work of art. The research is based on the studies of computational aesthetics by G. D. Birkhoff and M. Bense, as well as the studies of the receptive aesthetics of R. Ingarden, W. Iser, H. R. Jauss and Ya. Mukarzhovsky. The computational aesthetics methods, such as CNN-based object detectors, and gestalt-based symmetry analysis, are used to detect symmetry axes in fine-art images. Experimental analysis demonstrates that the applied computational approach is consistent with the philosophical analysis and the expert evaluations of the fine-art images, therefore it allows to obtain more detailed fine-art paintings description.