Wherever there are human beings there is art, and wherever there is art there are art teachers. We think of masters transmitting their skills to the young in the prehistoric caves, in the mediaeval workshops, and in modern studios and academies. The job has always been more or less the same, but the masters have often changed their views of what an artist is supposed to be.The art teachers of the twentieth century are working on assumptions that are probably new in the history of the craft. They believe that art is not the privilege of a few people but a natural activity of every human being; that a genuine culture depends less on the rare geniuses than on the creative life of the average citizen; and that art is an indispensable tool in dealing with the tasks of being. Art is considered a means of producing mature, complete, happy people. This has made the task of the art teacher difficult because it presupposes more than specific skills. It requires some knowledge of the capacities, needs, and developme...