How does art smell? About the olfactory dimension in art enjoyment

The world of contemporary art is characterized by its immense versatility and expressiveness. From paintings to sculptures to installations, artists have always expanded the limits of the medium to realize their visions.

A fascinating and often underestimated aspect of art is the smell .

It is fascinating to observe how smells are increasingly recognized and used as an artistic medium. The idea that artists have been integrating into their works in a targeted manner for several years has indicated the creative potential in it.

Museums now offer so-called Smell Walks , in which visitors can explore fragrance landscapes, and also surprise niche perfume labels with their experimental creations.

A not inconsiderable proportion of this development is to be attributed to the Institute for Art and olfaction in Los Angeles. Founded by Saskia Wilson-Brown , the institute has contributed significantly to establishing fragrances as a serious form of art and expression. Wilson-Brown views the smell formation not only as a technical skill, but as a social practice that is deeply anchored in our cultural experience.

A short historical review

Early and antiquity

Even in ancient times, smells had a symbolic and cultic meaning. Smokes such as incense were used in religious ceremonies to establish a spiritual connection.

Also for healing or as a sign of social status, fragrances have been used since the beginning of civilization.

This practice showed early on that smells could not only be used functionally, but also emotive and meaningfully.

Olfactory art in the 20th century

However, the accompaniment of the odor medium did not really start driving until the 20th century. Marcel Duchamp , a pioneer of Dadaism , introduced the concept of the "artist as a odor artist" , especially with his work "Air de Paris" (1919), in which he filled a perfume bottle with Paris air.

Duchamp presented the ampoule in 1920 as a gift to Walter Arensberg in New York. The original object was damaged and replaced by Duchamp in 1949 by a new copy.

Although this was rather humorous gesture, one could see this ready -made as the foundation for considering the sense of smell as an artistic means of expression.

The variety of olfactory art

Not least due to the mental pioneering work by Saskia Wilson-Brown, we become aware that the use of scents includes much more than just buying perfume flacons in luxurious shops. In fact, working with scents is a deeply rooted practice that has historical and cultural dimensions.

In art, fragrances get a very special role. They offer the opportunity to arouse memories emotional reactions and create multi -sensory experiences Artists such as Ernesto Ventós or Sissel Tolaas have designed their works of art specifically around fragrances to reach and touch the audience on a new level.

Or let's take the example of pointillism in painting. Just as Georges Seurat arranges tiny points on the screen to form a large picture, scents can be used as "olfactory points" to create complex sensory experiences.

Imagine an art installation in which various scents are distributed along a path and together form a "fragrance landscape" . This type of artistic work creates a deeper connection to the viewers by addressing several senses at the same time.

In addition to the art, fragrances also invite you to historical reflection. They have always had different meanings in different times and cultures - whether in ancient Egypt, in the Romans or in the Islamic world of the Middle Ages. These historical uses can serve as sources of inspiration to understand how deep fragrances are embedded in our cultural DNA.

Facilities such as the Institute for Art and Olfaction motivate us to research this historical and cultural dimension of the fragrances.

Installations and space work

Contemporary artists use smells in a variety of ways. One of the most common applications is in installation works of art, in which smells contribute to changing the perception of a room. Artists such as Ernesto Neto or Wolfgang Laib create immersive installations, which, among other things, completely kidnap the viewer into another world through olfactory elements.

Laib, for example, uses flower pollen to create extensive yellow carpets that not only appear visually, but also olfactory.

Performance art

Another fascinating field is the use of smells in performance art . This is where the artist uses smells to strengthen emotions or tell a story.

A well -known representative of this current is Sissel Tolaas , who collects smells from various urban environments and uses in their performances to emphasize social and cultural differences.

Perfume as an art form

Perfumery and art merge in the hands of fragrance labels such as Annick Goutal and Serge Lutens . These perfumers create fragrances that go far beyond commercial perfumery by telling stories or making cultural and historical references.

Goutal's work, for example, is often described as "liquid poetry" , while Lutens' perfumes are seen as olfactory paintings.

Annick Goutal Paris is an extraordinary perfume brand from France. Annick Goutal represents the musical art of perfumerie, masterfully put together fragrances and a seductively fragrant ambience from the heart of France. In 1999 Annick Goutal died at the age of only 53. Since then, her inheritance has been continued by her daughter Camille Goutal and the perfumer Isabelle Doyen.

The creation "L'Eau Serge Lutens" was launched in 2010 by the renowned Serge Lutens brand. This fragrance embodied the longing for purity and served as a counter -reaction to the social pressure that urges us to surround us with artificial scents. It is extensive, clear and radiant and is reminiscent of endless, open landscapes. A touch of it feels like a fresh breeze pure air.

Edmond Roudnitska , an independent perfume and philosopher, has also shaped modern perfumery by its style, personality, his vision, his perfumes and his writings.

It is the pioneer of a new artistic movement in the field of perfumerie, based on aesthetics and the olfactory form of expression. Together with his wife Thérèse Roudnitska, he founded the company "Art et Parfum" , whose production and creation center in Spéracèdes lies on the hills over Grasse (France).

The history of this couple draws an extraordinary life from the Belle Epoque until our day.

Visit exhibitions that integrate works of art with olfactory elements, or read about the history of perfumery. In this way you can learn not only to see fragrances as commercial products, but as a load -bearing pillar of a rich cultural heritage.

By looking at fragrances in this way, they open up a world full of possibilities - a world in which fragrances are more than just fleeting fashion phenomena, but certificates and mediators of culture and history.

The influence of scents on our senses and emotions

Smells have a direct connection to the limbic system of our brain, which is responsible for emotions and memory. This close connection means that smells can be very emotionally and considerably impressive.

The famous neuroscientist and odor researcher Hanns Hast said that smells often cause long -forgotten memories and trigger intensive emotional reactions.

An excellent example of the emotional power of smells is “Sillage de la Reine” Marie Antoinette 's perfume . This fragrance allows us to gain an olfactory insight into life at the court of Versailles and at the same time combine us with an important historical figure.

For many people, perfume is more than just a fragrance; It is a personal explanation, a subtle touch of luxury that accompanies us every day. But the exclusivity of well -known branded fragrances can often be an expensive pleasure.

Here so -called fragrance Willes a fascinating and affordable alternative. These equivalent fragrances offer the essence of expensive perfumes to a fraction of the price.

The search for the perfect fragrance is a very personal journey, and the decision for a fragrance will be just as overwhelming as the selection of an original perfume. But why are more and more people choose this alternative?

Simple answer: value. Bandwills offer an almost identical fragrance experience without the high price, which is often associated with luxury brands. Discover how you can enrich your fragrance experience with Duftzwillingen without blowing up your budget.

A striking example of a source of high -quality fragrance Willing is Hani Perfumes , where you can find an extensive selection of scents that are in no way inferior to the expensive originals.

An olfactory adventure in Ulm

I still remember my first olfactory art experience in 2015, which I experienced there is something in the air: SCent in Art in the Museum Villa Rot It was an installation of Clara Ursitti.

The exhibition in the Villa Rot examined the relevance of the sense of smell and its diverse functions in the current artistic discussion and during the avant -garde. Works by international contemporary artists were presented, which went to the smell and fragrance sensations, their origins, compositions, effects and memory from different perspectives.

This experience showed me how powerful and profound olfactory art can influence our awareness and our feeling of time and space.

In the same year, a symposium in the Tinguely museum on the occasion of the exhibition "Belle Haleine - The Fragrance of Art" in Basel, which for the first time put the sense of smell at the center of our aesthetic perception:

A publication published in the following year presented the results of the interdisciplinary symposium with contributions from the areas of biology, chemistry, anthropology, fragrance research, legal, literature, art and cultural studies. 

Reception and classification of olfactory art

The assessment of olfactory art is a special challenge. Unlike visual or auditory experience, which is easier to standardize and communicate, the sense of smell is often more subjective and individual. Wilson-Brown and her team have set themselves the task of developing criteria and methods in order to adequately appreciate this art form.

Another interesting topic is the largely unwritten history of olfactory art. While the use of scents in rituals and traditional tradition is well known, there is a lack of extensive documentation and analysis of their application in modern and contemporary art practices.

Saskia Wilson-Brown sees this an important task for future research: The recording and processing of this story could provide valuable insights into the social and cultural importance of scents.

The Institute for Art and Olfaction is therefore not only a creative, but also an academic hub that beats the bridge between art and science. Interested parties are motivated to deal more intensively with the world of fragrances, be it by participating in workshops, visiting exhibitions or simply by conscious experience of their surroundings.

Because as Saskia Wilson-Brown aptly noticed:

Smells are more than fleeting perceptions - they are an important part of our cultural identity and our collective memory. "

With a unique training program, the IAO is aimed at prospective perfumers and creative minds who want to deepen their passion for fragrances. In training, well -founded knowledge is conveyed at different levels with the main goal, to understand the basics of molecules, to explain their functioning and to learn how to combine skillfully with other fragrances.

This training includes classic perfume trade and the innovative world of odor arts and experimental approaches in dealing with scents. In addition, the IAO supports artists on their projects and initiates their own projects, often in cooperation with renowned museums or universities.

In addition, programs that aim to aim is to create greater awareness of unconventional and experimental approaches in perfumery and fragrance. These include the Art and Olfaction Awards , the Experimental Scent Summit , the SCENT Week and the IAO Gallery .

In the IAO library, everything revolves around rare perfume books and fragrant artifacts. podcast "Perfume on the Radio" and a magazine called Alabastron are also available -a publication that is entirely devoted to fragrance culture and is published by Nuri McBride and Saskia Wilson-Brown.

If you want to immerse yourself in the fragrance worlds of past decades on this side, the Osmothèque very important. It is a fragrance archive with its headquarters in Versailles French.

The Osmothèque is a unique conservatory in Versailles and New York, which preserves, authenticated and reproduces the history of perfumery. Founded by renowned perfumers such as Jean Kerléo and Jean-Claude Ellena, it offers access to rare and historical scents such as Le Chypre de Coty by François Coty. Thomas Fontaine has been President of the Conservatory since 2020.

Entertaining facts and fun facts on the subject of fragrances

It is a pleasure for me to complete this post with a few cheerful facts on the subject.

• Napoleon and his Cologne water : The French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was known for using almost 60 bottles of Cologne to use water every day. He believed that the fragrance sharpened its mental skills.
• The “forgotten” art gallery of smells : In 1970 the artist Peter de Cupere started the “olfactory art manifesto” to establish smells as an artistic medium. De Cupere is known for creating works of art that consist exclusively of smells, such as a perfume called "The Smell of Vaccum Cleaner."
• The New York Subway Experiment : One of the most fascinating applications of smells in art took place in an experiment in the New York subway system, in which artist Sissel Tolaas distributed smells of fear, joy and other emotions in various subway stations to observe the behavior of passengers.
• Smells as therapy : The smell finds its place not only in art, but also in medicine. Aromatherapy is used to relieve stress and anxiety and increase well -being. The close connection between odor and emotion sensation makes this possible.