The call for more empirical research in art education during the 1950s seems to be a precursor of the contemporary move toward more systematic instruction in the visual arts. If making art employs nonverbal aesthetic concepts, then conceptual consistency and problem solving within studio instruction can facilitate students' acquisition, retention, and generalization of the aesthetic concepts that are the building blocks of artistic expression. The term "conceptual focus" describes the pedagogical mechanism that permits students to practice the cognitive skills used by artists during creative activities. (Author)