A-Bomb Paintings

Overview

Glittering flames swirling up into the sky. The unforgettable eyes of a girl trapped by fire. An abandoned corpse on the road. The feelings stirred by a corpse on the road. Such searing images are based on the eyewitness accounts of survivors of the August 6, 1945 Hiroshima atomic bombing. For over a decade, the survivors, or "hibakusha," have been working with local high school students to capture their memories on canvas. The 137 "A-bomb paintings" completed to date are a precious visual record of the physical and emotional toll exacted by the bomb. The paintings have helped some hibakusha face deep emotional scars. And they are an accessible resource for passing on the truth of that fateful day.