Last One—Signing Off! Painting and Data Final Analysis and Reveal
May 16, 2024
The last stretch of the Senior Project—and Senior Year—is now. Left feeling a bit bittersweet? I know I certainly will miss experimenting and writing about my progress during the whole course of this project. Maybe Perfume NO.2 can be a lasting reminder of that feeling (though it’s personally not my favorite).
Painting Reveals
Starting off with Painting No. 1: Warmth—
“The End of Dinner” by Degas
A beautiful piece. Now, for those who may not be watching my presentation this Saturday on 5/18, or those who may just want to look again, (as a brief description, interpretation, and historical context) “The End of Dinner” invites us to partake in the indulgence and refinement of the Belle Époque through a glimpse into the aftermath of a lavish dinner party, but with an underlying great disparity in ages between the men and women.
“The End of Dinner” Final Scent Profile (a moody and deep but airy vibe)
Top: Honey, Cologne (which smelled like a fruity, breezy type of essential oil)
– Honey: represents the food and youthful vibe of the ladies as well as the soft lighting and powdery, luminous feeling, and gives a similar velvety texture as sandalwood but one that is not as heavy.
Middle: Rose, Jasmine
– Rose: a classic and universally cherished scent that enhances the traditional and somewhat formal atmosphere of this gathering, and add a sense of love and passion to hint at the underlying romantic interests among the guests.
– Jasmine: an intoxicating and sensual aroma which helps to deepen the floral center of the fragrance.
Base: Sandalwood, Leather
– Sandalwood: adds the velvety, warm, deeper texture for feelings of both nostalgia and sophistication.
– Leather: gives a robust and slightly animalic note to ground the fragrance with a feeling of luxury and status by the environment and guests.
“The End of Dinner” Data
Here are the general ratings given by participants from both surveys. I will explain the results, together, in more detail below.
Average rating for… (format: initial survey rating–final survey rating out of 6)
Lively/Energizing: 4.46–4.54/6
Romantic: 4.08–3.78/6
Comfort/Calm: 3.91–3.97/6
Positive/Happy: 4.73–4.86/6
Nostalgic: 3.24–3.59/6
Complexity: 4.22–4.62/6
Top values, coded (initial):
1. warmth
2. joy
3. dinner
4. homely
5. intimate
6. open/bright
Top values, coded (final):
1. happy/lighthearted
2. dinner/party
3. nostalgic
4. warmth
5. intimate/togetherness
6. bright/new
Secondly, with Painting No. 2: Gloom—
“L’Étoile (The Star)” by Degas…
Here is the brief description, interpretation, and historical context… “L’Étoile (The Star)” spotlights the engulfing reality behind the radiant lone ballerina on the stage, who, maybe in the moment, breaks free through her dance, away from her patron, the foreboding figure half-hidden behind.
“L’Étoile (The Star)” Final Scent Profile (a dark but (only) momentarily hopeful vibe)
Top: Bergamot
– Bergamot: the bright and slightly bitter (bittersweet) scent introduces the fragrance with an uplifting aroma representing the brilliance of the ballerina in her performance on center stage, to set a contrast against the deeper notes explored to mirror the contrast in the painting.
Middle: Neroli, Sweet Tobacco
– Neroli: the delicate scent represents the refined elegance of the ballerina while carrying subtle green and spicy facets to hint at the underlying reality behind the stage.
– Sweet Tobacco: the rich, warm, and slightly sweet aroma adds depth to evokes the maturity and worldly nature of the setting around the ballerina, and also her half-hidden patron.
Base: Leather, Patchouli, Frankincense, Cedar, Myrrh (heavy on the base for contrast)
– Leather: its grounding scent allows for the resilience required of the ballerina, both physically and emotionally, in the performing spotlight, and balances the top and middle notes.
“L’Étoile (The Star)” Data
Here are the general ratings given by participants from both surveys. I will explain the results, together, in more detail below.
Average rating for… (format: initial survey rating–final survey rating out of 6)
Lively/Energizing: 3.50–3.81/6
Romantic: 3.16–3.11/6
Comfort/Calm: 3.26–3.03/6
Positive/Happy: 3.55–3.35/6
Nostalgic: 2.79–3.30/6
Complexity: 4.29–4.38/6
Top values, coded (initial):
1. ominous/gloomy
2. calm
2. free, passionate, confident
4. contradiction
5. isolation
Top values, coded (final):
1. impure/dark
2. contrast
3. open/passionate/lively
4. calm/content
5. happy/fun
Results and Analysis
I conducted a Welch t-test (with the help of an online calculator) on each quantitative survey question (six per painting, 12 per survey), due to the fact that the variances (one of the conditions to conduct a 2-sample t-test) were unequal, and therefore a 2-sample t-test could not be conducted.
According to the data, the differences between the initial and final surveys—or the differences between the emotions evoked by the artwork with and without smelling the perfume associated with it—were not significant, although one question’s answers did come kind of close to being smaller than the 0.05 P value.
This was unexpected in that multiple studies have previously shown an association between a difference in emotions and scents/fragrances; however, it was also in some ways expected due to some things we should consider:
– There were only ~40 participants per survey.
– There was a difference in the talkativity of responders in the initial vs final surveys (therefore I decided not to use the coding from the free-response questions in any actual statistical tests).
– There were differences in responses from each participant in the surveys.
– There was perhaps enough time spent getting to know the scent before taking the survey (due to a time crunch between classes at BISV).
– There may be new/past personal biases towards/against the painting/perfume (plus where the scents fall on the female/male spectrum may have influenced the answers, though the answer to that is unsure).
Lastly,
I hope you enjoyed this final update on my Senior Project. Thanks for sticking by! It’s been a roller coaster of a journey and I’ve learned so much over this short (kind of) period of time. I truly couldn’t have done it without the help and support of my advisors Yosh, Lakenda, and Dr. Mo, and also my family and friends, so thank you all!
Goodbye,
Alina : )
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