AUTHOR=Lange-Küttner Christiane , Vinueza Chavez Ximena 

TITLE=The space paradox in graphic representation

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.968918

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.968918

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=The negative space drawing technique refers to drawing the transparent space around and between the objects, rather than drawing the objects themselves. This space-based instruction is thought to attenuate object-specific visual attention and to enhance perception of a spatial expanse. Developmentally, it is equivalent to the Piagetian dichotomic space concept of filled and empty space. A sample of 96 children from 5 to 12 years of age and 24 adults (N=120) drew on a computer tablet a real-life model spacebox placed in front of the participant, with three cubes placed inside the model. Children followed two instructions, a Visual Realism (VR) Instruction ‘Please draw the three cubes and the box as you can see them’ and a Negative Space (NSp) Instruction ‘Please draw the space around the objects’, with the sequence counterbalanced. NSp outline drawings began to show from 9 years onwards. A positive effect of the NSp technique showed for occlusion drawing because of the depiction of common contour of objects which could create a cohesive scene feature such as a horizon. The VR instruction focused attention towards the space box and enhanced 3D drawing of both the spacebox and the cubes. Thus, it could be concluded - rather paradoxically - that drawing in 3D is better based on object- than on space-based attention, while drawing occlusion is better based on space-based than object-based attention. We suggest, however, that a better definition of VR as attention to object appearances is that VR unifies objects and spatial context into one global plane.