Abstract

This article concerns the role of haptic perception in the act of enjoying sculptures and it takes as a starting point an unusual experience “in the dark”. Starting with a short description of this experience, some focal theoretical constructs of Art Psychology – in the tradition of Gestalt theory and Rudolf Arnheim – are addressed, namely expressive qualities and perceptual forces and tensions. Revisiting these constructs in a haptic key allows the consideration of aesthetic behaviour in the plastic art domain and the proposal of “naturalistic” research lines aimed at gaining a sharper comprehension of its features.