The impact of artwork analysis on experiential perception and interpretive depth in virtual reality applications

This study investigates how virtual reality (VR) transforms the experience of analyzing artworks in art education. The research was conducted with 20 first-year students enrolled in the Visual Arts Education program at Ankara Music and Fine Arts University. Participants examined three paintings—Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Edvard Munch’s The Scream, and Vincent van Gogh’s The Bedroom in Arles—first through traditional two-dimensional digital images and then through researcher-designed three-dimensional VR environments. Semi-structured interviews were administered following both sessions, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that VR provides a more immersive and sensorially rich environment, strengthening students’ perceptions of color, texture, spatial composition, and emotional atmosphere. VR facilitated a sense of “being inside the artwork,” which enhanced aesthetic engagement and interpretive depth. However, some participants reported that traditional two-dimensional presentations allowed for more controlled analytical observation and easier note-taking. These results suggest that VR serves as a powerful experiential learning tool that can enrich visual and emotional dimensions of artwork interpretation, yet it is most effective when used as a complementary method alongside traditional instructional approaches. Integrating VR into art education curricula may expand students’ opportunities for embodied and affective engagement with art, particularly when applied within hybrid pedagogical models.