Unveiling the Hidden Stories: Survivor's Art The following works of art are by the survivors of the atomic bombs in Japan who were children or young adults at the time. These artworks came from a book published by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, in order to acknowledge the experience of these survivors. Many of these artists didn’t have a discipline in art, but still had an impact on the art of the atomic age. These pictures show what no child should have to witness, conveying that war is hell. I believe that it is important to know how the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki affected those who called those places their home. Through displaying the art of the atomic bomb survivors there is a message being conveyed, which is the human cost of war, as well as resilience. I wanted to give a voice to these survivors, so there is a recording of what the artists said about their artwork.
Artist: Goto Kiyoyoshi
Title: Untitled
Date: Unknown
This picture is from the viewpoint of Mt. Futaba overlooking the city of Hiroshima. In this painting by Kiyoshi, an individual who survived the atomic bomb as a child, there is subtlety in his depiction of great destruction. The way he describes it, there’s an incredible sense of loss for his world. The painting conveys, not the end of the world, but the end of his world. He used shades of yellow, orange, and red to depict the flames that burned after the explosion. Flames in which consumed his home, much like it consumes the page. There is also a lack of any type of structure or nature, most likely because what he saw was exactly that, nothing but flame and smoke. He also included the infamous mushroom cloud that seems to leer over the entirety of his art. This artist most likely used watercolor, utilizing a dry on wet technique, or wet on wet, or both.
What the artist stated he saw that day after the bomb dropped on Hiroshima (play image to hear their voices):
"Standing on the hill I could see the shrine at its foot engulfed in flames and Shukkeien Garden burning between two branches of the Ota River. The fire extended to the Hiroshima Castle. Above the city was a mushroom cloud from the Atomic Bomb. "(Kiyoyoshi, as cited in JBC, 1981).
Artist: Kazuo Matsumuro
Title: untitled
Date: 1977
The artist for this picture was Kazuo Matsumuro. In this drawing Matsumuro placed himself and another person lying on stairs with grave wounds. Many of these artists’ artworks depict the reality of the individual with no purpose of a message because that is what they were asked to interpret. However, without particularly meaning to there is a message here. The sense of, “it could happen to me”. The artist was a regular person, with family, friends, and neighbors, just like us, who experienced this horrible situation. He describes encountering a man he doesn’t recognize, because his face was severely injured from the atomic bomb’s blast. But it was someone he knew. Through this art we get to experience what the artist went through that day. The mediums are most likely pencil, and some light use of watercolor.
What the artists said about his drawing (play image to hear their voices):
"On the stairs in front of the statue of Fleet Admiral Kato in Hijiyama Park. Although we were lying side by side, we did not recognize each other. He heard my voice and said, "Are you Mr. Matsumuro?" It was Mr. Yoshimoto. His face was dark and swollen. He seemed unable to open his eyes or mouth. The left side of his face, neck, and hands, were burned. Soon we were separated. I was bleeding from my ears, nose, and mouth and was wounded from being crushed. I learned later that the twelfth backbone and the first lumbar vertebra were fractured. I could hardly move." (Mahumuro, as cited in JBC, 1981).
Artist: Terumi Nishida
Title: untitled
Date: 1977
This picture was created by Terumi Nishida. This particular picture is haunting. As a child to see a woman in such a state must have been shocking to say the least. Like most of these artists, Nishida didn’t have a background in art, however she did not fail in creating an impactful work of art. In the picture there is a mountains scape dashed with dark blue figures which kind of look like flames or burnt trees. There is also rain drawn with the same color as the dark mountains. The woman in the picture is half naked with her tongue hanging out, because her jaw was missing. This drawing gives us an idea of how horrific the aftermath of the bomb was. Many of us think of the people who died instantly, or those afflicted with acute, or prolonged radiation poisoning, but what isn’t mentioned much is those who had sever bodily damage due to fires or debris like this woman. It’s a grim scene that we get to experience through this artist’s work. It’s hard to determine what she used as a medium for this piece. I believe she used pencil and possibly pastels, or colored pencils.
What the artist said about his drawing (play image to hear their voices):
"A woman with her jaw missing and her tongue hanging out of her mouth was wandering around the area of Shinsho-machi in the heavy, black rain. She was heading towards the north crying for help. I wonder if she survived." (Nishida, as cited in JBC, 1981).
Image 1-3 (Japan Broadcasting Corporation, 1981)
コメント