Existing comment:
On April 18, 1906, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck San Francisco, where Obata had been living since his arrival in the United States in 1903. The quake and subsequent fires killed more than three thousand people and destroyed 80 percent of the city. Obata later recalled making firsthand drawings of the traumatic event:
The Great Earthquake happened a little after 5:00am. My chimney came down and dropped into the room. After that I knew something really serious had happened. I also knew by then that you have to face anything Nature gives with your whole body and spirit. So... I grabbed as many sketchbooks as possible, and I walked in the direction of the downtown to see what was the situation... I wanted to describe, as a third person, how the earthquake affected people. |