"Where are you going?" (Quo Vadis)
Dublin Core
Title
"Where are you going?" (Quo Vadis)
Subject
クォ・ヴァディス (Quo Vadis )
Description
The title is a latin phrase with biblical origins that translates to "where are you marching?". This quote describes the lone Japanese soldier with his back turned to us, standing at the crossroads in a barren landscape, uncertain of where to go. This surrealist depiction portrays melancholic state of Japan, as the nation faced an uncertain future after its defeat in World War 2.
Creator
北脇昇 (Kitawaki Noboru)
Date
Shōwa 24 (1949)
Format
117.0 x 91.0 cm
Type
Oil on Canvas
Files
Citation
北脇昇 (Kitawaki Noboru), “"Where are you going?" (Quo Vadis),” Japanese Art in the 20th century - Empire, War, Occupation, accessed May 23, 2026, https://empire-war-occupation-20thcent-japaneseart.artinterp.org/items/show/28.