The paper analyses the use of particular terminology typical in the discourse of art education since last century and reveals its genealogy. Such terms as individuality and originality are the basic concepts pointing to the romantic movement and post-romantic traditions in the fine arts and art education.
On the other hand the post –war strands in European thinking and latest developments in the visual arts changed considerably the understanding of traditional essentialist concepts of identity, artist as creator, and fine art as a domain of freedom.