Art and scent have been completing each other since centuries ago, educating and informing each other in the process to create complex sensorial experiences. From the intricate craftsmanship of perfume vessels in earlier times to contemporary scent installations, where these media meet is a single point thatreveals the intricacies of human feeling and perception.
A History of Scent and Art
Scent and visual art have been combined for centuries, and perfume bottles have long been mini canvases for artists to play with. In the Art Nouveau era, famous glass artist René Lalique partnered with perfumer François Coty to create exquisite bottles that were as much a visual pleasure as the fragrances were aromatic. Those works bridged the line between function and art, and perfume bottles became art treasures. The artists have also gone into perfume-making. Salvador Dalí, for instance, designed a lipstick-shaped bottle for a fragrance thatechoed his surrealist painterly theme and sensual preoccupation. Instances like these present proofs of cross-fertilization between the art of images and the art of smells wherein the two inform and complement one another.
The Olfactory Museum
Contemporary art exhibitions have begun to incorporate scent as a defining characteristic, transforming traditional galleries into multi-sensory spaces. Artists like Anicka Yi have been spearheading the incorporation of olfactory components within their installations, inviting visitors to engage with artwork that transcends the visual plane. Yi’s works of installation tend to probe memory and identity by bringing forth unique scents that permeate the gallery space, creating an immersive experience that provokes consideration and argument. Museums and galleries are beginning to leverage the power of smell to affect vision and stir emotion so that exhibitions now accompany smells displayed together with visual arts. The confrontation increases the viewer’s experience, creating a higher level of engagement with the artwork.
Scent as an Emotional Brushstroke
Perfume possesses a unique ability to stimulate memory and feeling over visual stimulation. It is referred to as the Proustian effect and works to establish the predominant relationship between smell and personal experience. When brought into art, scent can connect with the viewer on a more emotional plane, creating a permanent memory that goes beyond the visual.
Artists and perfumers alike utilize this potential to devise narratives that speak on a highly personal level. Artists use scent in their art to engage with their audience at a more personal level by allowing them to examine the complex matrix of their own experiences and emotions.
The collaboration of perfume and fine art still reveals itself, with unlimited potential for creativity. When perfumers and artists collaborate and challenge one another, they challenge our senses and invite us to find art in its broadest sense—a perfumed canvas that evokes all of our senses.
