Hello Sahra,
I find your questions quite interesting and sadly true.  Most 
literature about visual perception focuses on the developing 
visual perception of the young, as if once you become an adult 
your visual understanding of the world is fixed and no further 
changes occur.  That is a rather preposterous and false 
assumption.  I've taught drawing at the university level for well 
over fifteen years and quite enjoy the challenge of helping people 
to see what their looking at, and then record what they are 
seeing, rather than what they think they see.  Again, this is tied 
to assumptions, this time visual assumptions.  The challenge that 
you are looking at, teaching drawing, teaching visual 
understanding, connects to that age-old question, can art be 
taught.  Although I may struggle with the "Art" with a capital 'A" 
portion of the question, I couldn't possibly teach if I didn't 
believe that it could be taught.  One issue that I think is 
crucial to your query is what to do with the ability to render?  
Yes it is important for students to be able to draw 
observationally, but the bigger question I believe that needs to 
be addressed along with that skill acquisition, is what do I do 
with this skill, and how does it further my goals as an artist?

Some reading that may be useful:
Arnheims, Art and Visual Perception
Dewey?s Art as Experience
Ruskins The Elements of Drawing

Notice that these books are about thinking about art, that may be 
the substantive change that occurs in the literature, that when we 
become adults we ponder.

You?ve chosen an interesting can of worms to investigate and I 
wish you the best with it.  Please share the results of your 
research when its ready.
Julia Morrisroe



Julia Morrisroe
Assistant Professor
School of Art and Art History
University of Florida
Fine Arts Building D #237
P O BOX 115801
Gainesville, FL  32611-9500
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352-392-0201 X238