Rooftops c. 1935 - 1943

Curator: Right, let’s talk about Isami Doi's “Rooftops,” an etching from somewhere between 1935 and 1943. Editor: It's a striking print! There’s almost a gothic, foreboding feeling about it – even with the everyday activity of laundry hanging on the line. How would you interpret this work? Curator: Isn’t it interesting how Doi balances the mundane and the monumental? To me, this piece feels like a memory – a fragmented one. See how the architecture is so meticulously rendered, yet the perspective feels subtly skewed? Like a stage set, perhaps. The sky adds a lovely drama. Almost Turner-esque, wouldn't you say? Editor: Absolutely. I also notice the stark contrast between the dark buildings and the bright laundry—and sky. I feel the domestic is fighting to survive under looming city towers. Was Doi making a comment about urban life? Curator: Maybe! Or perhaps it is a longing for home. Doi, as a Japanese-American artist working in this period, experienced considerable discrimination, and was ultimately interned during World War II. Perhaps this etching hints at themes of displacement or resilience, but maybe it simply highlights beauty in the mundane. What do you think? Editor: It makes sense in that context. I never would have considered the internment without that historical prompt. I see both struggle and hope in the contrast of the details you pointed out. Curator: Isn't it amazing how a bit of background can completely reshape your experience of a piece? Art holds so many potential narratives, if only we allow it. Editor: Totally. It really makes you think about the multiple layers present, just waiting to be uncovered.