Patterns of Artistic Development in Children: Comparative Studies of Talent

by Constance Milbrath PhD, Tom Houston

Overview

This book traces the development of artistic talent from early childhood to adolescence through a series of studies that look comparatively at development in talented and less-talented populations. It presents a model of artistic talent that attributes individual differences to the figurative abilities of talented children. The model proposes that artistic talent results from the continual coordination of heightened figurative abilities with conceptual processes throughout a period critical in semiotic development. The studies focus on the development of form, spatial relationships and composition. Milbrath's theory is richly supported by original examples of children's artwork.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521443135
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/13/1998
Pages:	440
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.30(d)

Table of Contents

Part I. The Representation of Form and Space: 1. Perspectives on drawing: deriving a developmental model for artistic talent; 2. Samples and methods for the spontaneous drawings studies; 3. From line to representation; 4. The human figure; 5. The evolution of a single viewpoint; 6. Putting space together; Part II. Composition: 7. Composing the picture; 8. Conducting the composition study: methods and procedures; 9. The compositions studies; 10. Toward a model of artistic development; Bibliography; Appendices.

Editorial Reviews

"....Constance Milbrath has given the field a gift of singular quality and great significance. Patterns of Artistic Development in Children will be read and appreciated for years to come, inspiring and guiding inquiry into the heterolore elusive topic of the nature of talent." David Henry Feldman, Human Development

"Milbrath's theory is richly supported by original examples of children's artwork. Recommended for all college and university libraries." Choice

"Patterns of Artistic Development in Children is a highly ambitious and scholarly undertaking that integrates findings from the domains of cognitive psychology and the psychology of drawing. Dr. Milbrath is to be complimented on her integration of cross-sectional and longitudinal data, on her qualitative as well as quantitative analysis of data, and on her careful analysis of case materials. This book will serve as an excellent source for generating productive research hypotheses, and will encourage further exploration of normative development and the role of talent in the domain of the graphic arts." American Journal of Art Therapy

"This is the most scholarly, comprehensive review of children's artwork to date." Contemporary Psychology

From the Publisher