Number 111

"Number 111" is a compelling example of Abstract expressionism, capturing the profound emotional impact of the Japanese American internment during World War II. The painting evokes the tension and sorrow faced by approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, forcibly relocated by Executive Order 9066 following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Its abstract forms and dynamic brushstrokes symbolize the chaos and dislocation experienced by Issei immigrants and Nisei citizens confined in internment camps across the western interior. Through an Abstract approach, the artwork powerfully conveys themes of loss, resilience, and the complex history of wartime injustice in America.