〈Painter’s words〉

I can never forget the beauty of the Siberian summer, even though it seemed to be over in an instant. The beauty in summer was in the stars. I would leave the sweaty confines of the concentration camp and lie sprawled out on the ground outside in the cool of the evening. One by one the stars would come out until before long the sky was a celebration of twinkling light. I tried to immerse myself in the beauty of the stars, reminding myself that they were the same stars I could see from Japan. But the reality of my captivity was never far away. And as I looked down I could see the stark silhouette of barbed wire piercing through the darkness. During my time in Siberia I was no more than an imprisoned painter torn between the stars and the barbed wire.

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.

《畫家的話》

西伯利亞的大自然中，轉瞬即逝的夏日美景令人難忘。夏天的美在於星星的美。走出汗臭味的收容所，躺在涼爽的室外，看著一顆顆閃爍的星星，看著看著就成了滿眼星空的盛宴。即使沉浸在與日本相連的美景中，也無法忘記自己被囚禁的現實。放低視線，就能看到在夜裏也清晰可見的不尋常的帶刺鐵絲網。在西伯利亞期間，我不過是在星星與帶刺鐵絲之間掙紮的，被囚禁的畫家。

《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。