Education and Social Topology: A Review of Choices
Prior to American occupation, and the attendant commencement of social transfiguration of Japan by the principles of equality and free speech, nearly any function of the society could be judged as Peter Drucker judged a favorite Japanese painting and artist: “___________ (fill in the blank), power, total compelling control.” Power and control define the Japanese social topology. Japan’s emblem was the Samurai sword. Its spirit was Bushido.
Equality in Japan pre-Bellum might be sited (in the point of exchange) in the rare social concourse of two identically ranked people of the same gender. Free speech could hardly have existed at all.
Without equality and free speech, art does not exist.
The analogs for choice in art are plenty, but the most representative is color.
To understand the impact on art, from the maintenance of a social topology absent equality and free speech, one can look to the usage of color in Japanese art. It should not be surprising that ink is the predominant artist medium throughout the history of Japan prior to its Westernization. When color is used, it is used in service to some other element in the composition. Compare this to Jackson Pollack’s use of color.
