Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The Art and Life of Chiura Obata


"The Distant Camp" 1942, Topaz, by Chiura Obata (source: Topaz Museum

Chiura Obata (1885-1975) is a master in the traditional Japanese sumi ink and brush technique, who was born in Japan and came to California in 1903. During World War II, he lived in great hardship behind barbed wire fences at Tanforan in South San Francisco and later at Topaz, Utah.

On Tuesday, May 1, 2012 from 6:00-7:00 PM in the Koret Auditorium, Kimi Kodani Hill, the granddaughter of Chiura Obata and the Obata family historian, will talk about him and his art.


Related reading:

Obata's Yosemite: The Art and Letters of Chiura Obata from his Trip to the High Sierra in 1927, with essays by Janice T. Driesbach and Susan Landauer (Yosemite Association, 1993).

Sumie by Chiura Obata (The Author: 1967)

Topaz Moon: Chiura Obata's Art of the Internment Camps, edited with text by Kimi Kodani Hill (Heyday Books, 2000).

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

So sorry to have missed this event! I would have liked to bring a beautiful painting by Obata, which was likely commissioned by my paternal grandmother in the 30's. The maiden strongly resembles her only daughter. You can see a photo of the painting (on silk) here: http://www.creativegal.com/images/ChiuraObata.jpg

It is simply gorgeous, but there is some faint foxing which must be corrected. If anyone is able to recommend a good restoration service in the SF Bay Area, I would most appreciate it. gal@creativegal.com