  It is human to want to touch artworks, to feel their surface curvature and
texture, their shapes and structures, and to feel the hand of the artist.
Museum guards need to be constantly vigilant to protect art objects from
adoring and exploring touches by visitors. This paper introduces a novel
technique for capturing where and how art objects are touched. In this method,
the users' touch either adds, or subtracts, microscopic fluorescent particles
from a three-dimensional art object. Viewing the object under ultraviolet light
reveals their touch traces and gestures. We present human touch behavior for a
three-dimensional stylized landscape, and for two abstract and two
representational art objects. We also present the results of video recordings
of real-time behavior and user interviews. The resulting data show the kinds of
touches, and where they are directed, and also reveal important individual
differences. We feel this method opens the door to studying art perception
through touch, and also enables new kinds of studies into touch behavior in
other applications, including visualization, embodied cognition, and design.
