Big question, especially for those who earn a living to teach visual art. Of course, one can ask that question about any of the Arts whether architecture, literature, music, performing art, but here I’ll stay with the visual arts.
First, I think that there are at least a couple approaches that one can teach, and those are a way to train or work on a skill and the other is critical judgement about visual art. Now, since the rise of movements as Dada the former lacks a bit of standing in contrast to, say, 150 years ago. No longer does skill alone qualify to “make art” but something more and that would be another article so maybe I’ll tackle that in the future. I have expressed a bit about it already in “How to Make Art” https://danielraymondchadwick.blogspot.com/2021/04/how-to-make-art-or-is-that-right.html.
Nonetheless, I think a physical skill would go a long way toward making imagination a concrete reality. For instance, does it help to know about the technology for digital art and how to use it best? Sure. And that is a skill one can learn, although as with any other skill, how good they are at it will vary by individual ability and training. That goes for other methods like painting, drawing, fiber-art; it’s convenient to know the strengths and limitations of the tools and the ability to employ them.
Critical judgement about visual art would also be another approach that one can learn. True, figuring out why artwork is “good” or “not so good” may be a bit of a balancing act on the high wire of aesthetics, but as long as one refuses to get caught up in trends then that will cultivate the evaluating mind. Understanding an artwork sub specie aeternitatis, or “in the big picture” both aesthetically and historically, is important in this regard.
So, now that a student has a level of skill and comprehension about evaluating visual art, then are they ready to make Art? I suppose one may contend that they’re more prepared now than they were and I would agree. But I emphasize that the artist must have something to present whether in terms of formal visual aspects or in a message of some sort. Along with that, it would help to do so with imagination.
One still may ask: is that enough?
