Since the 21st century, art therapy has made great progress and development in China’s education. To find out the relationship between art therapy and special children, hundreds of related literatures were analyzed using co-word analysis software, which shows that art therapy is increasingly important in special children and their education. Expressive art therapy has a good development prospect in college students’ mental health education and group counseling. The connotation of group painting therapy is constantly enriched. The theme research of mandala painting therapy is closely related, and painting art therapy focuses on the psychological counseling research of different groups, but the two are still in the marginal position in the whole research, and have not been paid attention to. Therefore, in the future research, firstly, we should continue to strengthen the research of art therapy and expressive art therapy in special education and individual mental health education; second, further broaden the depth and breadth of group painting therapy; third, strengthen the study of mandala painting therapy and painting art therapy.

Thematic art creation is a product of a complex social, historical, and cultural context, and it fills an important position in the development of modern and contemporary Chinese art history. Since the 21st century, with the introduction and implementation of a series of national major thematic art creation projects, thematic art creation has gradually moved from a marginal position in art history to a core area, becoming a visual narrative method with independent aesthetic value. Moving towards cultural consciousness and carrying cultural self-confidence, thematic art creation requires the guidance, standardization, and support of related art theories. The lack and absence of theoretical research restricts the development of thematic art creation. This study combs through the research results and literature materials of thematic art creation since the new century as well as studies the aesthetic education value of thematic art creation image narration.