How Can Inspiration Be Encouraged in Art Learning ?

Inspiration has been regarded as an important phenomenon in research into artistic creation and art learning (Tyler & Likova, 2012; Chemi, Jensen & Hersted, 2015). Active art appreciation inspires people and facilitates the creativity of art-making, as shown by psychological experiments on drawing (Okada & Ishibashi, 2016). Our recent studies on inspiration in artistic activities have shown that the core of inspiration through art appreciation (ITA) is a dual focus on the artwork (and artist) and the viewer’s own artmaking. In this chapter, we outline our model of the psychological process of ITA. We list factors that promote ITA, in particular, those inducing a dual focus in the context of educational practice. Some factors – instruction, methods of appreciation, and methods of selecting and showing artworks – may contribute to educational interventions in museums and schools. Finally, we described a case of art educational practice for undergraduates, designed to promote inspiration.