Exotic Flowers: On the Artful Identities of Yasuo Kuniyoshi

Abstract

The identity of American artists is not defined strictly by nationality alone. In reality, there has always been a conceptual border waiting to be constantly negotiated along the fluctuating sociopolitical lines. This thesis investigates the discourse of inclusion and exclusion of the Japanese-born artist Yasuo Kuniyoshi (1889-1953). He was an artist in New York at a time when Asian immigrants were considered highly undesirable. Not only did he weather increasingly strict immigration rules in the early twentieth century, but also the deteriorating political relationship between the United States and Japan – a circumstance that ultimately developed into World War II. Despite the difficult situation faced by Japanese in the United States, Kuniyoshi was highly regarded as an American artist during his lifetime. Kuniyoshi’s constant negotiation of his public identity outlines his experience. Also, Kuniyoshi’s social and cultural standing as an American artist would have been impossible to achieve without the special interest and support of the New York artist community to which he belonged. Kuniyoshi’s unique position as an American artist was an effective tool for the art community to fight for their ideal state America, and Kuniyoshi himself was a part of the community as a fighter.