Immersive Models and Methodological Proposals for Art Education through AR and VR: a case study on Caravaggio
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.13129/3035-062X/prnr-5330Keywords:
virtual and augmented reality, art education, digital technologies, teaching art appreciation, CaravaggioAbstract
This article explores the use of immersive digital technologies—particularly Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)—applied to the teaching of art history, with the aim of enhancing learning processes, active participation, and student engagement during workshops or thematic lessons. The study seeks to highlight the potential, methodologies, limitations, and critical aspects of digital-based teaching, focusing especially on the interactive and engaging approach fostered by the sense of “immersion” within the artwork (the recreation of an original work designed specifically for this purpose). Finally, a pedagogical laboratory methodology is proposed for implementation in educational settings, structured into five phases: theoretical introduction, immersive experience, reflection, creative reworking, and presentation. The educational model, applicable to any artist or artistic movement, is illustrated through the case study of Caravaggio. The contribution aims to outline a model for teaching art history that integrates the pedagogical tradition of the laboratory with new digital technologies.
References
Anello, A. (2016). Psicologia dell’arte e della percezione. Padova: Libreria Universitaria Edizioni.
Belfi, A. M., Vessel, E. A., Brielmann, A., Isik, A. I., Chatterjee, A., Leder, H., Pelli, D. G., & Starr, G. G. (2019). Dynamics of aesthetic experience are reflected in the default-mode network. NeuroImage, 188, 584–597. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.12.017
Cadet, L. B., Reynaud, E., & Chainay, H. (2022). Memory for a virtual reality experience in children and adults according to image quality, emotion, and sense of presence. Virtual Reality, 26(1), 55–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-021-00537-y
Caldarelli, A., Iommi, M., Zitti, M., D’Angelo, I., & Giaconi, C. (2023). Realtà virtuale e didattica: una proposta di analisi per una formazione inclusiva. In C. Giaconi, I. D’Angelo, A. Marfoglia, & C. Gentilozzi (a cura di), Ecosistemi formativi inclusivi (pp. 47–68). Milano: Franco Angeli.
Campitiello, L. (2025). Tecnologie immersive e didattica inclusiva. Superare le barriere dell’apprendimento attraverso gli ambienti virtuali. Roma: Studium.
Caruana, F., & Gallese, V. (2011). Sentire, esprimere, comprendere le emozioni: una nuova prospettiva neuroscientifica. Sistemi intelligenti: Rivista quadrimestrale di scienze cognitive e di intelligenza artificiale, 2, 223–234.
Chatterjee, A., & Vartanian, O. (2014). Neuroaesthetics. Trends in cognitive sciences, 18(7), 370–375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2014.03.003
Cummings, J. J., & Bailenson, J. N. (2016). How immersive is enough? A meta-analysis of the effect of immersive technology on user presence. Media Psychology, 19(2), 272–309. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2015.1015740
D’Isa, F. (2024). La rivoluzione algoritmica. Arte e intelligenza artificiale. Roma: Luca Sossella.
Di Marino. (2021). Nel centro del quadro. Per una teoria dell’arte immersiva dal mito della caverna al VR. Sesto San Giovanni: Aesthetica.
Ercolano, M. (2024). Educazione museale. Questioni pedagogiche e formazione di nuove professionalità. Pisa: Edizioni ETS.
Freedberg, D., & Gallese, V. (2008). Movimento, emozione, empatia: I fenomeni che si producono a livello corporeo osservando le opere d’arte. Prometeo, 26(103), 52-59.
Gallese, V. (2012a). Aby Warburg e il dialogo tra estetica, biologia e fisiologia – Aby Warburg and the dialogue among aesthetics, biology and physiology. pH, 2, 48-62.
Gallese, V. (2012b). Embodied simulation theory and intersubjectivity1. Reti, Saperi, Linguaggi, 4(2), 57-64.
Gallese, V., & Guerra, M. (2015). Lo schermo empatico. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.
Gee, J. P. (2013). Come un videogioco. Insegnare e apprendere nella scuola digitale (a cura di P. C. Rivoltella). Milano: Raffaello Cortina Editore.
Guazzaroni, G., & Pillai, A. S. (a cura di). (2020). Virtual and augmented reality in education, art, and museums. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
Guerra-Tamez, C. R. (2023). The impact of immersion through virtual reality in the learning experiences of art and design students: The mediating effect of the flow experience. Education Sciences, 13(2), 1–18.
Invitto, S. (2013). Neuroestetica e ambiente percettivo: pensare, strutture interattive a 3 dimensioni. SCIRES-IT. Scientific Research and Information Technology, 3(1), 35–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.2423/i22394303v3n1p35
Luigini, A., & Panciroli, C. (a cura di). (2018). Ambienti digitali per l’educazione all’arte e al patrimonio. Milano: Franco Angeli.
Pallavicini, F. (2020). Psicologia della realtà virtuale. Aspetti tecnologici, teorie e applicazioni per il benessere mentale. Milano: Mondadori.
Pinotti, A., & Somaini, A. (2016). Cultura visuale. Immagini, sguardi, media, dispositivi. Torino: Einaudi.
Pizzato, F. A. (a cura di). (2019). Una nuova frontiera della didattica. Metodi, tecnologie, esperienze italiane. Roma: Carocci.
Radianti, J., Majchrzak, T. A., Fromm, J., & Wohlgenannt, I. (2020). A systematic review of immersive virtual reality applications for higher education: Design elements, lessons learned, and research agenda. Computers & education, 147, 103778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103778
Rizzolatti, G., Buchtel, H. A., Camarda, R., & Scandolara, C. (1980). Neurons with complex visual properties in the superior colliculus of the macaque monkey. Experimental Brain Research, 38, 37–42.
Rossi, M., & Toto, G. A. (2024). La realtà virtuale nelle percezioni degli insegnanti in formazione: un’indagine esplorativa. QTimes: Journal of Education, Technology and Social Studies, 16(2), 115–124.
Slater M. (2018). Immersion and the illusion of presence in virtual reality. British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953), 109(3), 431–433. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12305
Spallone, R., Lamberti, F., & Ronco, F. (2021). AR e VR per la comunicazione e fruizione del patrimonio al Museo d’Arte Orientale di Torino | AR and VR for heritage communication and fruition at the Museo d’Arte Orientale of Turin. In Connettere Connecting: Un disegno per annodare e tessere / Drawing for weaving relationships (Atti del 42° Convegno Internazionale dei Docenti delle Discipline del Disegno, Reggio Calabria, 14–18 settembre 2021) (pp. 2659–2676). Milano: Franco Angeli.
Tassinari, M. E., Marcuccio, M., & Marfia, G. (2023). La realtà virtuale immersiva in una classe scolastica: Uno studio esplorativo in un istituto di istruzione superiore. In P. Peluso Cassese (a cura di), Research on Educational Neuroscience – 3rd International Conference – Il futuro prossimo dell’educazione nell’universo digitale. Ripensare, ricollegare e visualizzare: Il contributo delle neuroscienze educative. Roma: Edizioni Universitarie Romane (pp. 152-153).
Yu, N., Shi, W., Dong, W., & Kang, R. (2025). The Impact of Virtual Reality Immersion on Learning Outcomes: A Comparative Study of Declarative and Procedural Knowledge Acquisition. Behavioral Sciences, 15(10), 1322. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15101322
Zeki, S. (2019). Notes towards a (neurobiological) definition of beauty. Gestalt Theory, 41(2), 109–110. https://doi.org/10.2478/gth-2019-0012
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Articles and conference papers published in Preliminary Reports and Negative Results in Life Science and Humanities are distributed under the terms and conditions of a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Correspondingly, authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).