Rembrandt's Saint James The Greater, painted in 1661. A Canadian researcher says the artist deliberately painted certain areas of his works in sharper detail in order to help guide the viewer's eyes. (Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press)

A B.C. researcher has uncovered how Dutch master Rembrandt created his enduring works of art, through a technique that guides a viewer's gaze.

Steve DiPaola of the University of British Columbia, studied paintings by the 17th century painter using software that examined lighting and spatial layout.

According to DiPaola, Rembrandt's technique was to paint a sharper focus on certain areas of a piece in order to draw a viewer's eyes to that area.

The study found that viewers would rest on the sharper areas longer, which resulted in a calming effect and also guided the viewer around the painting.

"This is about unlocking the puzzle of perception," DiPaola told The Vancouver Sun newspaper.

"Artists don't always get the credit for it, but the way they make their magic is by exploiting brain science."

So, by making certain details sharper and helping the viewer experience the painting, Rembrandt is essentially creating a narrative for his pieces.

Using volunteers to study photographs versus Rembrandt-like portraits, DiPaola discovered that people liked the portraits better.

The researcher says creative portraits get "into our soul," while photographs do not.

Whether the artist actually knew what he was doing is still a question but DiPaola feels Rembrandt may have also intuitively done it.

Born in 1606, Rembrandt van Rijn produced nearly 600 paintings and 1,400 drawings before his death in 1669.

The study's findings are published in the current issue of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's arts and sciences journal, Leonardo.