The Digital Press

Researchers analyzed 630,000 paintings from 1400 onward using AI to detect emotions, linking visual art to historical socioeconomic conditions.

Why it matters: Emotions in art reveal subtle insights about living standards, inequality, and uncertainty in societies over centuries.

The big picture: This novel method offers a new way to study socioeconomic transformations like climate change and political shifts.

Quick takeaway: The study controls for artist and genre, isolating a shared emotional signal tied to time and place.

Commenters say: Readers appreciate the innovative use of AI and art for economic history, while some question interpretation limits of emotion detection.