The tondo, a circular work of art, comprises a geometry that is said to increase the visual concentration on the picture's centre, a concentration that is enhanced by a picture frame. The present contribution discusses these observations from the perspective of the psychologist and the art historian, notes the perceptual differences between circular and other shapes of pictures, and refers to studies including eye-tracking methods, neurophysiological experiments on the visual cortex in man and macaques, and consideration of ocular factors. These studies provide considerable support for the “Power of the Center” when viewing tondi.
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