Object Details
Artist
Roger Shimomura, born 26 Jun 1939
Sitter
Roger Shimomura, born 26 Jun 1939
Exhibition Label
Born Seattle, Washington
Roger Shimomura’s artwork casts a light on the alienation experienced by many Asian Americans. He knows well the pain associated with xenophobia, and the feeling of disconnect between the symbol of the American flag and the lived experience of those who exist simultaneously as “an other” and “a citizen.” As a small child during World War II, he and his family were relocated from their home in Seattle to a Japanese American incarceration camp in Idaho. The experience of displacement in his family’s new homeland shaped his identity.
The source for this painting is Emanuel Leutze’s monumental oil on canvas Washington Crossing the Delaware (1851). Shimomura has positioned himself in the guise of George Washington with samurai warriors as his Continental troops. The body of water resembles San Francisco’s harbor with Angel Island, the processing center for Asian immigrants, in the background. The work echoes the compositions of Katsushika Hokusai’s wood-block prints.
Nacido en Seattle, Washington
La obra de Roger Shimomura arroja luz sobre el aislamiento que han padecido muchos asiáticoamericanos y la desconexión entre lo que representa la bandera estadounidense y las vivencias de aquellos que existen como “ciudadanos” y a la vez como “otros”. De pequeño, durante la 2a Guerra Mundial, Shimomura y su familia fueron trasladados de su hogar en Seattle a un campamento de reclusión para japoneses-americanos en Idaho. Esa experiencia de desplazamiento en la nueva patria de su familia marcó su identidad.
Esta pintura se inspira en el monumental óleo sobre lienzo de Emanuel Leutze, Washington cruzando el Delaware (1851). Shimomura se presenta a semejanza de George Washington, con guerreros samuráis en vez de soldados del Ejército Continental. El cuerpo de agua aparenta ser el puerto de San Francisco y al fondo está la Isla de los Ángeles, antiguo centro de procesamiento de inmigrantes asiáticos. La composición tiene ecos de los grabados en madera de Katsushika Hokusai.
Provenance
The artist
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Raymond L. Ocampo Jr., Sandra Oleksy Ocampo, and Robert P. Ocampo
Date
2010
Object number
NPG.2012.71
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Roger Shimomura
Type
Painting
Medium
Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions
3 canvas panels each: 182.9 x 121.9cm (72 x 48")
Overall Unframed: 182.9 x 365.8cm (72 x 144")
Overall Framed: 193 x 375.9cm (76 x 148")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition
21st Century Americans: 2000 to Present
On View
NPG, South Gallery 341
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Nature & Environment\Water
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses
Weapon\Sword
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
Costume\Headgear\Hat\Tricorne
Nature & Environment\Hill
Costume\Dress Accessory\Epaulet
Vehicle\Boat
Equipment\Sports Equipment\Oar
Allegorical
Self-portrait
Costume\Robe
Triptych
Exterior\Waterscape\Riverscape
Symbols & Motifs\Flag\National flag\American
Roger Shimomura: Male
Roger Shimomura: Arts and Culture\Visual Arts\Artist\Painter
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_NPG.2012.71
