How Does Art Viewing Inspires Creativity?

Professional and amateur artists seek inspiration from viewing the works of others to enhance their creativity. This paper focuses on inspiration for artistic creation through art viewing by reviewing psychology studies on what types of artwork promote individuals’ inspiration for creation (inspiring artwork) and how they experience inspiration through their art appreciation (the appreciation process). In particular, we claim that a dual focus —that is a focus on both evaluating the artworks of others and reflecting on one's own art making—is a core mechanism for inspiration. Further, we present a theoretical framework to explain the types of creative outcomes expected in line with such a dual focus.