Artistic expression is the formation of symbols to affirm the relationship between the self and the world. I want to theorize this to provide insights for education.

One of the sources for art and drawing classes in modern Japanese elementary and junior high schools is a methodology established during Germany's Weimar Republic. I am interested in the theories and practices of the art teachers of that time, and my research focuses on how they perceived children's drawings and what kind of art education they conducted.

They were interested in the expressive drawing styles and use of color by children up to the lower grades of elementary school, and they practiced educational methods that stimulated these abilities. For example, they would have children listen to a story and draw the images it evoked, or listen to music and express what they felt. At the time, synesthesia was gaining attention. The painter Kandinsky expressed the rhythm of music and the resonance of colors in his paintings, and the composer Scriabin held concerts that projected colored lights in time with the music. Psychologists also focused on synesthesia, and research had revealed that children's senses, such as sight and hearing, were not yet fully differentiated, making it easier for them to perceive sounds as colors and feel musical rhythms when looking at a picture. Against this backdrop, what the teachers aimed for was an education of sensibility. They sought to empower children with the ability to skillfully express the 'texture of the world' as they felt it.

So, what did the artists and teachers of that era intend by this? What has emerged from my research is that artistic expression is the act of creating symbols to skillfully convey to others one's perceived world and the texture of one's self at that moment. This symbol formation, in turn, is closely linked to the development of self-image and identity.

Thinking about how I could theorize artistic expression as symbol formation to provide insights for contemporary art education, I am now planning an art education project. It is an attempt to have elementary and junior high school students confirm and form the various images they hold, through art and objects. For example, we ask them to bring a concrete object that symbolizes friendship or family and to give it a title explaining why they chose it. This not only helps them realize how they feel about friendship and family but also communicates it to others. I hope this experience will serve as a catalyst for forming their self-image.

My wish is for children to become strong as individuals. To achieve this, having a self-image is essential. What are my goals? What do I desire? These things become clearer by entrusting them to objects, or symbols. In this day and age, an education that leads by showing a single 'correct' way to live is impossible. The first step is to provide a catalyst for building a self-image. I believe it is the responsibility of education to teach the methodologies and skills to do so.