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Title
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Yasuo Kuniyoshi
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Description
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Yasuo Kuniyoshi (1889–1953) was a Japanese-born artist who moved to the United States when he was 16. Even though he became a well-known figure in American modern art, Kuniyoshi was never allowed to become a U.S. citizen due to the harsh exclusion laws (Art Institute of Chicago 2021). This experience of feeling caught between two worlds is expressed and told through his artwork. After immigrating in 1906, Kuniyoshi lived in Seattle and Los Angeles before settling in New York, where he studied at the Robert Henri School, the Independent School, and the Art Students League (Smithsonian American Art Museum). He also painted landscapes and still lifes. It is important to note that he was the first president of Artists Equity and a cofounder of the American Artists Congress.
One of his paintings is Circus Girl Resting (1925). This painting is oil on a canvas showing a circus performer sitting on a chair, looking like she is taking a break and lost in thought. Her body is misshapen, and there's an uneasy and lonely feeling present. The girl’s body is wide and her face is expressionless but heavy with emotion. She seems both present and distant at the same time. This adds a dreamlike quality to the painting. The colors are soft, and the painting almost feels like there is a sad mood to it. Looking deeper into this it seems that Kuniyoshi may have seen himself in this circus girl. He relates to her being someone who didn’t really fit in, always on the outside looking in. Kuniyoshi worked mostly with painting and drawing, mixing Japanese aesthetics with Western modernist styles. His art career was full of success, and he was even chosen to represent the United States in international art shows. The U.S. government classified him as an "enemy alien," which shows just how much his identity was caught between acceptance and exclusion. During his last couple years of life Kuniyoshi focused on social realist themes which displayed geometric designs and stunning color (Smithsonian American Art Museum). His paintings tell a story about what it means to belong as well as being an outsider.
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Alternative Title
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Circus Girl Resting
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Source
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Smithsonian American Art Museum. “Yasuo Kuniyoshi.” Smithsonian Institution. Accessed April 2025. https://americanart.si.edu/artist/yasuo-kuniyoshi-2741.
Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. “Circus Girl Resting.” Auburn University. Accessed April 2025. https://jcsm.auburn.edu/art-piece/circus-girl-resting/.
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Name
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Daniel Sheeran
