Title:
Sunflowers and Milky-Weeds
Creator/Contributor:
Hibi, Hisako
Date:
7/1/1943
Identifier:
96.601.20
Format:
painting
oil on canvas
Description:
Unframed stretched canvas. Image of a still life with sunflowers and milky-weeds wrapped with a cloth. The colors are green
and yellow.
Historical Note:
Hibi was fond of using the flowers and vegetables grown in camp to paint still life works. In this particular painting she
depicts sunflowers and milky-weeds, which she refers to in the inscription on the back of the canvas as the "Flowers of Topaz."
In other documents Hibi writes that the sunflower was one of the only plants that could endure the harsh weather conditions
at Topaz, where temperatures ranged between 106 degrees to 30 degrees below zero in winter. Thus, while appearing to be composed
of ordinary still life subject matter, this painting had special significance for Hibi who thought of these flowers as representative
of life in Topaz. This still life then, resonates with its references to the location and historical context of its making.
Subject:
Concentration Camps, Topaz | still life | sunflower | milky-weed | cloth | table