Year: 2023
Medium: Oil, flashe vinyl, pencil on canvas, framed
Dimensions: 76.2 x 63.5 cm (30 x 25 in.)
Acquired from MAKI Gallery, 2023
There is a series with the same title as the novel written by Salinger. It depicts the slightly clumsy love of a family trying to support a youth struggling on the edge between the ideal and reality. Franny is the distressed younger sister, and Zooey is the supportive older brother. Kamijo is an artist who continues to paint poodles, but as seen in this work as well, he boldly interweaved both simplicity and emphasis rather than depicting specific shapes in recent years. In this work, the even color surface like a coloring book has been painted with a combination of straight and curved lines which deformed the characteristic haircut of a poodle. The strong contrast between orange and navy blue evokes the different characters between the two poodles. When looking at their facial expressions, one would assume that they must be poodles since they are painted by Kamijo, and only under this assumption, do they look like dogs. However, the eyes, nose, whiskers, and fangs, as well as the shadow and bumps on their faces are so exaggerated or simplified that they appear almost human-like, far from the original dog face. In other words, although Kamijo is drawing dogs, he is not seeking the resemblance of a dog. It seems to imply that the dog is a latent image of the human spirit in its domesticated form as one of the most familiar animals in human society. Various spiritual theories are exchanged in Salinger’s novels, even involving Eastern philosophies such as Buddhism. The younger sister who is struggling to find a place for her heart, eventually finds a glimmer of light and smiles at the end of the conversation. Through collision and mutual support, the youthful struggle can be overcome someday.
