Empathy

Empathy was drawn in January 2012. 

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For the explanation for the artwork to be a bit easier to understand:

At the very top of the picture is a variety of things from around the time when the Japanese Americans had first came to America as immigrants to the point where after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, even more racial tension was forced upon the Japanese until they were all inside of camps where they were held until further notice. The water bottle next to the items is shown tipped and had spilt its contents all over the various items. 

Shown inside the puddle of the water is an interpretation of today’s Little Tokyo. The simplicity of the area is meant to compliment the way things have finally settled down for the Japanese and those they are no longer outsiders in America. At the very middle is the tanabata tree that is held in Little Tokyo with various tanzaku papers. Shown is a young girl tying a tanzaku paper to the tree wish her wish on it. The meaning of it being in the middle is that it compliments the golden road. On the pathway to happiness, things will not always be golden, but each and every point along the way, people will always hope and wish for the best to make it to the end of that road; to be able to feel happiness at its peak. 

At the very bottom of the picture where the puddle ends, is shown a young angel who waits for the brighter future as she sleeps in sorrow during the time where racial tensions were at its peak. The water from the bottle shows the present because it shows a time where things are, in a sense, purified from the problems from the past. As an angel is pure, the water is also shown as the things that cause the tears on her face for she awaits the future as she cries as she cannot do anything about the current time. 

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References used in this picture:

Reference 1
Reference 2
Reference 3