The Healing Power of Illustration: From Visual Expression to Insights in Art Education

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the vigorous development of digital visual culture and the transformation of art education, illustration, as a visual language integrating artistic expression and communication power, has transcended traditional functions and become an important carrier of emotional expression and psychological comfort. Based on art therapy theory, this paper analyzes the diverse therapeutic mechanisms of illustration composed of visual language, narrative structure, creative process, audience resonance, and therapeutic expression in the image age, and explores the practical characteristics of healing-oriented illustration in the context of contemporary youth culture. Meanwhile, addressing the current situation of higher art education emphasizing skills over emotions, it proposes transformation paths such as shifting from skill training to mental cultivation, integrating emotional expression into creative training, constructing a supportive creative environment, and combining aesthetic education with mental health education, so as to provide new insights for art education to highlight its humanistic value and social mission.