Title:
Morning
Creator/Contributor:
Hibi, Hisako
Date:
9/1/1942
Identifier:
96.601.8
Format:
painting
oil on canvas
Description:
Red and brown painting with a mountain and barracks in the background. In the foreground is a water tower and rows of workers
walking down a road.
Historical Note:
Only two paintings appear to have been made by Hisako Hibi during the first few months at the Topaz concentration camp. This
painting and "Topaz, Utah" were done in the fall of 1942 while the next painting completed by Hibi was not until March of
the following year. Thus, they serve as important works representing her initial period at Topaz. The mountain range in
the background becomes an important framing motif in many of Hibi's later landscapes and outdoor camp scenes. Here it appears
against the backdrop of a bright red and orange sky. When the internees began being transported from Tanforan to Topaz many
of the makeshift quarters were still being constructed by US army soldiers. Internees were also made to help in the construction
of buildings and even the barbed wire fence which surrounded the camp. In this painting Hibi appears to focus on the daily
routine of the soldiers, and not the internees, who worked on the construction of Topaz. In particular, the focus is on the
regimented manner in which the soldiers marched into camp every morning. An adult and child stand to the side observing the
men in their symmetrical formation and appearance. The figures are diminished in size in relation to the camp grounds and
mountain range, emphasizing the landscape and conditions of camp. The barracks and water tower also serve as markers in locating
this painting as a camp scene.
Subject:
Concentration Camps, Topaz | barracks | water tower | mountain