Framing “I can’t draw”: The influence of cultural frames on the development of drawing

Abstract

Why is it that many people feel that they ''can't draw''? In a recent article (Cohn, 2012), I put forth a new theory that compared the cognitive structure of drawing to the cognitive structure of language. Like language, drawing uses schemas that combine in innumerable novel ways, and thus children learning to draw must acquire these schemas from the drawings in their environment. However, while most people in the United States and Europe ''can't draw,'' Japanese children have far greater proficiency in drawing. This paper explores reasons for this cultural disparity in graphic fluency originating in the structure of the drawing systems in those respective cultures and the beliefs that frame ideas about drawing and art education. In particular, I explore the intriguing possibility that cultural assumptions admonishing imitation of other people's drawings prohibits the acquisition of graphic schemas, thereby leading to people feeling that they ''can't draw.''

Visual narrative comprehension: Universal or not?

“…If drawings represent what people see, they should be universal, since all people ostensibly have the same perceptual capacities. Differences in producing drawings thus reduce to "talent," despite the assumed universality in their understanding (for review, see Cohn, 2014a;Willats, 2005;Wilson, 1988).…”

“…Also, such studies never include measures of visual narrative reading experience, despite longstanding findings that the PAT is modulated by cultural background (Breiger, 1956), and age and experience with visual narratives (A. L. Brown, 1975;Fivush & Mandler, 1985;Friedman, 1990;Nakazawa, 2016;Weist et al, 1999;Weist et al, 1997). The PAT is also confounded because it is scored relative to a "correct" order, despite multiple well-formed sequences being possible when accounting for the structure of visual narratives (Cohn, 2014b).…”

A Sociocultural Approach to Children’s Visual Creations

“…We do not see such copying or direct referencing of the cultural texts (short films and picture books) or other students' work as problematic. Rather, it is a sign of dialogic interactions and proof of learning (Cohn 2014;Mavers 2011).…”

Features Of Manifestation Of Individual Manner In The Preschool Childdrawings

“…Having mastered any way of the image, the child repeats it in each subsequent drawing, without trying to apply other ways. This phenomenon has been studied by foreign researchers (Cohn, 2012(Cohn, , 2014Cox, Koyasu, Hiranuma, & Perara 2001;Gašić-Pavišić & Lazarević, 2002;Leung, 2017;Rose & Jolley, 2016) and domestic scientists, having received different names: "pictographic symbol", stereotyping, templates, stamps, "graphic formula". The attitude to the stereotyping of children's drawings also differs among different researchers.…”