Identifying and adapting an assessment scale for creativity in figurative expressionism painting to the Chinese context

Creativity is a fundamental component of visual arts and plays a critical role in artistic development. However, existing creativity assessment systems in visual arts are often constrained by subjectivity, limited domain specificity, and insufficient consideration of cultural differences. This study aims to develop an assessment scale for creativity in figurative expressionism painting within the Chinese context, addressing existing gaps in the literature and providing an objective and reliable evaluation tool for art education and creativity research. The study hypothesizes that the proposed scale can effectively assess creativity in figurative expressionism painting. This study employed a mixed-method approach. The pilot phase involved six experts and 41 university students, resulting in the evaluation of 846 figurative expressionism paintings. For the final data collection, eight experts and 150 university students participated, yielding a total of 1,016 samples. The findings led to the development of a 22-item assessment scale for figurative expressionism painting within the Chinese context ,encompassing six dimensions included novelty, originality, technical skills, affect, aesthetics, and importance which collectively reflect the core characteristics of figurative expressionism painting. In conclusion, the assessment of creativity in figurative expressionism painting within the Chinese context contributes to the advancement of arts education and creative research. The proposed scale highlights the importance of cultural context and domain specificity in creativity assessment