ABSTRACT
In examining ‘the spiritual’ in relation to the visual arts, it may be observed that:
The ‘spiritual’ is a primary source of artistic imagination, representing one explicit source of content and motivation in the arts. Even in science fiction narratives the spiritual is referenced.
‘Spirituality’ is accepted as an ineffable quality emergent within the aesthetic, often used as the basis for critical assessment in the arts.
In the secular domain of art education, ‘spirituality’ defies formalist reduction and escapes research-based justification founded on rationalist precepts. Therefore, there is an absence of reference material in the literature of art education.
