Umbrellas

A row of umbrellas — perhaps displayed in a shop, perhaps gathered at an entrance during rain — becomes in Nishijima's hands an exercise in pattern, repetition, and the particular visual richness of traditional Japanese craft objects massed together. The cylindrical forms of the folded umbrellas, their handles aligned, their fabric covers in a range of related colors, create a composition that hovers between still life and architectural study. The image captures the domestic beauty of everyday Japanese objects that Nishijima found as worthy of sustained attention as the grandest traditional streetscapes.