Sanctuary at Western Sunset

Tom Nakashima, Sanctuary at Western Sunset, 1992, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Gail and John Enns, 2008.38
Tom Nakashima, Sanctuary at Western Sunset, 1992, oil on canvas, 101 12120 38 in. (257.9305.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Gail and John Enns, 2008.38

Artwork Details

Title
Sanctuary at Western Sunset
Date
1992
Dimensions
101 12120 38 in. (257.9305.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Gail and John Enns
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Highlights
Subjects
  • Animal — fish
  • Architecture Exterior
Object Number
2008.38

Artwork Description

The translucent fish swimming to the center of this painting is a self-portrait of the artist. Adopted by Tom Nakashima as a symbol of fluidity, it represents his journey through life. In many of his works, he uses this animal's associations with Christianity and Asian cultures to explore his Japanese American heritage.

The fish approaches the threshold of a large chapel, a place of refuge inspired by the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy, decorated with religious-themed frescoes by Giotto, a famous fourteenth-century Italian painter. For Nakashima, his structure serves as a path to Japan and represents safe passage across landscapes, times, and cultures.

Works by this artist (10 items)

Carrie Mae Weems, Lincoln, Lonnie, and Me - A Story in 5 Parts, 2012, video installation and mixed media, color, sound; 18:29 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the American Women's History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative, 2023.9A-G, © Carrie Mae Weems. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Lincoln, Lonnie, and Me — A Story in 5 Parts
Date2012
video installation and mixed media, color, sound; 18:29 minutes
Not on view
Carrie Mae Weems, Suspended Belief, from the series Constructing History, 2008, archival pigment print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2022.48.5, © Carrie Mae Weems. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Suspended Belief, from the series Constructing History
Date2008
archival pigment print
Not on view
Carrie Mae Weems, A Woman Observes, from the series Constructing History, 2008, archival pigment print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2022.48.1, © Carrie Mae Weems. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
A Woman Observes, from the series Constructing History
Date2008
archival pigment print
Not on view

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      Artist Tom Nakashima discusses the significance of the fish in this work, his relationship to Eastern and Western art, and his belief in the monumental importance of paintings.

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