ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the philosophical, aesthetic, psychological, expressive, and
developmental literature in the visual arts as they illuminate the mental processes used in
artistic conception. Contributions from various art perspectives are discussed as they
relate to the various higher order mental processes used in art, including perception,
consciousness, imagination, expression, emotion, thought, intellect, and language,
especially as they influence the processes of thinking about and making art. Discussed are
contributions from the fields of philosophy, aesthetics, psychology of art, and children’s
artistic development as they relate to cognition and conception in both art objects and
events and in the general cognitive and artistic growth of young learners.
