Art Review: ‘Witness to Wartime’ documents Japanese-born US painter's life, especially his forced incarceration during World War II


Anderson Turner
Thu, May 19, 2022

The individual drive to make visual art and to do creative research is born out of deep desire for a person to express themselves and to share important ideas. Art is truly something “in” a person that needs to find a way to come out into the world. How this desire comes about is unique to the human condition, and history has shown us that no matter the conditions a person or group of people find themselves living in, the power of artistic expression finds a way to materialize.

"Witness to Wartime: The Painted Diary of Takuichi Fujii" is an exhibition of the work of a Japanese-born modernist painter who documented his life in America after immigrating at age 15. This exhibition features 82 objects (oil paintings, watercolors, ink drawings, books, sculpture). It documents many aspects of the artist's life, but most especially his experience of being forced into an incarceration camp during World War II.

“Minidoka, doctor treating Fujii for tick (another incident).” Watercolor on paper.

Fujii was 50 years old when war broke out between the United States and Japan. He was one of over 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast forced to leave their homes and live in geographically isolated incarceration camps.

He and his family, together with most ethnic Japanese from Seattle, were sent first to the Puyallup temporary detention camp on the Washington State Fairgrounds, and in August 1942 were transferred to the Minidoka War Relocation Center in southern Idaho.

Fujii documented the experience by starting a visual diary that spans the years from his forced removal in May 1942 to the closing of Minidoka in October 1945.


Certainly, what first stands out when you view the work is the skill of the artist and the interesting details of everyday life he picked up on. Fujii would often depict himself drawing or painting what he was witnessing. This act is more than just including himself in the form of a portrait; rather it shows the artist as an active participant in the documentation as well as the daily life of the world he was seeing during his forced incarceration.

“Train to Minidoka.” Watercolor on paper.

"Train to Minidoka" is a watercolor on paper that depicts the conditions and the people who are traveling to the place they would be incarcerated for three years. Dark lines outline people as they travel on the train. The artist shared this in his diary of the event: “A hot, hot August day. The inside of the coach was so hot, we were all running around naked. Feeling anxious, we rode the train, going east, ever east.” Part of the passengers' anxiety was because they had very little information about where they were going, and many thought they were going to be killed, a reality that Fujii details in his diary.

"Minidoka, Blocks 19 and 21" is a watercolor on paper that features a mountain scene with row upon row of housing in the foreground. Despite the formal documentation of this piece, it also retains the expressiveness of the artist's hand in the variety of brushstrokes and marks.

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What stands out the more you look at the paintings is the clear vision of Fujii to highlight his joy of making. Also apparent is his ability to express his own artistic passions and interests, while at the same time offering us truly unique insights into his personal experiences.

“Minidoka, birds and snake.” Watercolor on paper.

"Minidoka, Montage With Fence and Landmarks" is also a watercolor on paper, an expressive visual collage of what the camp looked like. In this piece he chose more than a representational path, creating a composition more akin to what was being done by German Expressionists like Max Beckmann prior to World War II.

In this painting you certainly can pick up on Fujii's emotions by the way the different compositional elements come together. The buildings, the electrical wire and the barbed wire all angle off each other in ways that force your eye to move around the picture's surface. The artist remains true to himself here, though, by creating thoughtful lines and shapes, not ones that feel solely spontaneous or expressive, despite the “abstract” way the visual elements are put together.

“Minidoka, grieving women.” Ink on paper.

There is a sadness that comes through in these works. This is important to note and to understand. Fujii’s vision offers us a window and a way to connect with this time in our history more effectively than any photo ever could. Still, there is also a joy being expressed here. A joy in making and a joy in documenting the daily life of what was certainly a nearly impossible situation to live through.

Anderson Turner is director of the Kent State University School of Art collection and galleries. Contact him at haturner3@gmail.com.

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“Seattle, King Street -- Victory over Japan Day celebration.” Watercolor and ink on paper.

Details

Exhibit: “Witness to Wartime: The Painted Diary of Takuichi Fujii”

Place: Canton Museum of Art, 1001 Market Ave N., Canton

Dates: Through July 24

Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday.

More information: 330-453-7666 or cantonart.org

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ‘Witness to Wartime’ documents Japan-born US painter's life, including incarceration during WWII