Neurological research has shown that looking at a real painting at the Mauritshuis activates the brain differently than looking at a reproduction of the same painting. The viewer’s emotional response is ten times stronger when they are face to face with the painting in the museum. Researchers used electroencephalograms (EEGs) to reveal that real artworks, including Girl with a Pearl Earring, elicit a powerful positive response much greater than the response to reproductions. The secret behind the attraction of the ‘Girl’ is also based on a unique neurological phenomenon. Unlike other paintings, she manages to ‘captivate’ the viewer, in a ‘sustained attentional loop’. This is the first time that the Mauritshuis has commissioned this type of research into its paintings.
