Each day, COVID – 19 challenges
our lives in new ways. Balancing quality of life with safety is much like being
on a tightrope.
The image of a tightrope
always reminds me of Yasuo Kuniyoshi. Many of his prints and painting are about
wire walkers and his life itself was a wirewalk; one side Japan and the other
the U.S.
At the age of 16, Kuniyoshi
left Japan, alone and emigrated to the United States. He studied at the Art
Students League, National Academy of Design and began exhibiting in New York. His
prints embodied both Japanese and American influence.
In 1941, following the
bombing of Pearl Harbor, he was classified by the United States government as
an enemy alien. He was prohibited from travel, owning a camera and had his bank
account frozen, further he was subject to a curfew. Though during the war, he
created art for the American propaganda effort, Yasuo Kuniyoshi was never
allowed to become an American citizen.
Wire Walker
Lithograph, 1928
Circus Girl #1 (On the
Wire)
Lithograph, 1930
Trapeze Girl
Lithograph, 1936
Wire Performer.
Lithograph, 1938.
The Cyclist
Lithograph, 1939
Two Acrobats
Lithograph, 1928
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