Abstract
How do schoolchildren identify the subject of a picture, and then engage in value judgments about that picture? Taking art appreciation ability as its benchmark, this paper investigates from the viewpoint of the relationship between this ability, and these questions. Those with a higher level of ability acted in a sensate manner: approaching viewing with a focus on elements such as “motif / scene” and “the abstracted picture plane,” then proceeding to identify the subject, and make value judgments accordingly. Working back from this fact revealed a path to enriching students’ aesthetic experience. A possible method of instruction would be to encourage, via a series of lessons, interest in / concern with the likes of “motif / scene” and “the abstracted picture plane,” and use this as an opening to shaking up their sensibilities.
Guidelines were also obtained for the viewing of works with a high degree of cultural dependency. When viewing a work of art is predicated on a level of culturally dependent knowledge, various abilities entwine to exert a synergistic effect. The viewer can acquire a taste of the work’s true value at a sophisticated level, for example taking it on board as a narrative rich in content, by an approach in which any sense of discomfort is eliminated due to intellectual underpinning, leading to a reigniting of sensibilities.
