きたへにしへ 北へ西へ
1959（昭和34年）
油彩／カンヴァス
〈作品解説〉
窓の鉄格子をしっかりと握り、外の風景を見る人の群れ。ひとつひとつの顔には、個性と呼べるほどの違いが見られません。目が落ちくぼみ、頬がこけた顔は、いいようのない不安を抱えて、窓の外を見ています。彼らは太平洋戦争で戦った日本軍の兵隊たち。大陸で終戦を迎えた直後、ソ連兵によって武装解除され、行方も告げられぬまま貨車に詰め込まれます。その中にこの絵の作者、香月泰男もいました。
香月は、一人一人の個人ではなく、軍隊という組織の中で個性を奪われ、画一的な「兵隊」という存在にならざるを得なかった人々の顔を描いています。この時、香月たちには、帰国できるかもしれないという一縷の望みがありました。北上を続ける列車の行きつく先、日本海に面した港から帰れるかもしれない・・・。しかし、ある日、列車の後方から朝日が昇ってくるのを見たとき、その望みも絶たれました。列車は東へ、すなわちシベリアへと向かっていたのです。
〈画家のことば〉
奉天を出発する貨車は、四方の窓が鉄格子で出来ていた。虜囚の貨車は、相変らずぎゅう詰めの状態で、行方もわからず、来る日も来る日も北へ走りつづけた。列車がとまるのは、ソ連兵の銃の監視の下で、飯盒炊事をする時と用便の時だった。このチャンスに脱走をはかれば、と何度考えたことだろう。しかし、何千キロ向うの朝鮮へどうしてゆけるだろう。それまでに現地人の私刑にあうか、疲労の果てにのたれ死にしてしまうだろう。それでも時折脱走をはかる者があるらしく、機関銃の響きやソ連兵の叫ぶ声を聞くことがあった。列車が北上するにつれて、それもなくなった。アムール河を渡り、シベリヤ鉄道に乗った翌朝、ふと見ると、太陽が列車の後方からのぼっている。我々は疑いもなく西に向っている。
もはや完全に帰国の望みは断ち切られた。
『シベリヤ画集』（新潮社、1971年）
香月泰男【かづき やすお】
生没年 1911～1974（明治44年～昭和49年）
山口県大津郡三隅村（現・長門市三隅）に生まれた香月泰男は、東京美術学校で油彩画を学び、美術教員の傍ら国画会を中心に作品を発表しました。1967年、太平洋戦争への従軍と戦後のシベリア抑留の経験を描いた「シベリア・シリーズ」により、第一回日本芸術大賞を受賞。その作品は今日も多くの人々を惹きつけています。
| 寸法 | 72.7×116.6cm |
|---|---|
| 形状 | 額装 |
To the north, to the west
1959
Oil on canvas
〈Commentaries on works on display 〉
Several people grasp at the window bars, gazing at the land beyond. Their faces have little to distinguish them—they all have sunken cheeks and bags beneath their eyes—but there is an unmistakable sense of unease as they look upon the outside world. These are the faces of Japanese soldiers from the Pacific War (WWII), stripped of their weapons by the Soviet army on the Chinese Continent shortly after the end of the war and packed onto a freight train with no idea where it will take them. One of their number is Kazuki Yasuo, the artist behind this work.
The faces depicted by Kazuki are not those of people but of dehumanized soldiers, who have been robbed of individuality and trained to serve only the army. They cling forlornly to the hope that one day they may be able to return to the homeland. Perhaps the train is heading north, taking them to a port on the Sea of Japan from where they could head home. But one day they notice the sun rising from behind the train, and they finally lose hope. For the train is heading east, to Siberia.
〈Painter’s words〉
The carriages on our POW train from Mukden were fitted with square grills instead of windows. We were once again packed in like sardines on a freight train to an unknown destination. Day after day we headed further north. Our only stops were for meals and toilet breaks under the watchful eyes of well-armed Soviet soldiers. No doubt many of us had thoughts of escape at these times. But how could you ever make it thousands of kilometers south to Korea? Surely you would soon be found by local people and lynched, or would eventually collapse and die from exhaustion. And yet, now and then we would hear excited shouting from the Soviet soldiers and the sound of automatic gunfire, suggesting that someone had indeed tried to make a run for it. As the journey north continued, the escape attempts petered out. One morning, after our train had crossed the Amur River and changed to the Siberian railway, we noticed that the sun was coming up from behind the train. Clearly we were heading west; there was now no chance that we were going home; all hope was lost.
Siberian Series (Shinchosha, 1971)
Kazuki Yasuo 1911 – 1974
Born in Misumi-mura (now Misumi, Nagato City) in Otsu-gun, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Studied oil painting at Tokyo School of Fine Arts, then taught fine art while producing works that were primarily exhibited at Kokugakai (National Painting Association). Kazuki was sent to fight in the Pacific War (WWII), then interned in Siberia after the war. This experience resulted in the Siberia Series, which won the inaugural Japan Art Grand Prize in 1967. This series is considered an important body of work that still resonates widely today.
| Size | 72.7×116.6cm |
|---|
向北向西
1959
《作品解說》
人們緊握窗子的鐵柵欄，看著外麵的風景。一張張臉上，幾乎都看不到個性的差異。眼神低垂，臉頰凹陷，帶著難以言狀的不安，望著窗外。他們是參加太平洋戰爭的日本軍。大陸結束戰爭後，被蘇聯士兵解除武裝，塞進火車，卻未被告知終點在何處。此畫的作者香月泰男也在其中。
香月描畫的並不是一個個獨立的個人，而是在軍隊組織中被剝奪個性，不得已成為的統一的“軍人”臉。此時，香月他們還抱有一絲回國的期望。持續北上的列車終點，也許就是臨著日本海的港口……但有一天，當看到朝陽從列車後方升起時，這種希望就破滅了。列車向著東邊，也就是西伯利亞的方向駛去。
《畫家的話》
從奉天市出發的貨車，四方的窗戶上是鐵柵欄。囚虜的貨車依舊擁擠不堪，去向不明，日複一日地向北行駛。在蘇聯士兵的監視下，貨車隻會在用飯盒做飯或者需要方便的時候停下。不知想過多少次，想趁此機會逃走。但是，怎麽前往幾千公裏外的朝鮮呢？到達之前，要麽遭到當地人的私刑，要麽因疲勞過度而死。盡管如此，偶爾還是有人企圖逃跑，不時能聽到機關槍的聲音和蘇聯士兵的喊叫聲。隨著列車北上，這些也消失了。過了阿穆爾河，坐上西伯利亞火車的第二天早上，突然看到，太陽正從列車後方升起。毫無疑問地我們正在向西移動。
所有回國的希望都完全破滅了。
《西伯利亞畫集》（新潮社 1971年）
香月泰男
生卒年 1911～1974（明治44年～昭和49年)
香月泰男出生於山口縣大津郡三隅村（現長門市三隅），在東京美術學校學習油畫，在擔任美術教員的同時，主要在國畫會發表作品。1967年， “西伯利亞係列 “獲得了第一屆日本藝術大獎，描繪了香月在太平洋戰爭中服役以及戰後被關押在西伯利亞的經曆。那些作品至今也受很多人歡迎。
| 尺寸 | 72.7×116.6cm |
|---|
북쪽으로 서쪽으로
1959
쇠창살을 꼭 쥐고 창 밖의 풍경을 보는 사람들. 각각의 얼굴에서 개성이라 할, 생김의 차이는 보이지 않습니다. 푹 파인 눈과 꺼진 볼을 한 이 얼굴들은 말로 형용할 수 없는 불안을 안고 그저 창 밖을 바라볼 뿐입니다. 이들은 태평양전쟁에 참전한 일본 병사들입니다. 대륙에서 종전을 맞은 직후, 그들은 소련군에 의해 무장 해제되어 자신들의 행방을 알리지도 못한 채 화차에 가득 실려가야만 했습니다. 그 안에는 이 그림을 그린 작가, 가즈키 야스오도 있었습니다.
가즈키는 한 명의 개개인이 아닌, 군대라는 조직 속에서 개성을 빼앗기고 획일적인 「병사」라는 존재가 되어야만 했던 사람들의 얼굴을 그리고 있습니다. 그들은 귀국이라는 일련의 희망을 가지고 있었습니다. 계속해서 북쪽으로 오르고 있는 열차가 향하는 곳, 동해와 맞닿은 항구를 통해 고국으로 돌아갈 수 있을지도 모른다는 희망. 하지만 어느 날, 그들은 열차의 뒤쪽으로 아침 해가 떠오르는 광경을 봅니다. 그 순간, 귀국을 향한 희망의 빛은 암흑으로 바뀌었습니다. 열차는 동쪽으로, 즉 시베리아로 향하고 있던 것입니다.
가즈키 야스오
생몰년 1911~1974 (메이지44년~쇼와49년)
야마구치현 오오츠군 미스미(현 나가토시 미스미)에서 태어난 가즈키 야스오는, 도쿄 미술학교에서 유화를 공부하고, 미술 선생님으로 재직하는 한편, 당시 일본 유력 미술 단체 중 하나인 국화회를 중심으로 작품을 발표했습니다. 1967년, 태평양 전쟁에서의 종군 생활과 전쟁 후의 시베리아 억류 경험을 그린 「시베리아 시리즈」를 통해 제1회 일본 예술 대상을 수상. 그 작품은 현재까지도 많은 사람들을 매혹시키고 있습니다.
| 치수 | 72.7×116.6cm |
|---|