Makoto Fujimura: New York works

by Makoto Fujimura

[Excerpt from introduction by Kushner] The first time I looked at Makoto Fujimura’s painting, The Twin Rivers of Tamagswa Series, I responded immediately to the somber, bittersweet tenor of the chroma - sensuous blues, greens, grays that echoed the moodiness of the Northeast in winter or earliest spring. The sense of light, polar opposite of Impressionist dazzle, depicted the wan winter pallor of the sun trying to break through gray clouds, or the final blush of late afternoon before darkness ascends. The poignant mood of these river bottom landscapes elevated the New Jersey wetlands, near- which the artist then lived, to the grandeur of Dutch landscapes. Through the restrained calligraphic addition of a tree dwarfed by the vastness of the horizontal expanse, or of a distant viaduct, the entire composition crystallized into a cohesive spatial unity. These depictions of a particularly elegiac American locus, wetlands scarred by industrial insensitivity, strangely echoed the historical Romantic sense of "the sublime" linking Fujimura more closely to the 19th Century than to much of today's work. Knowing that Fujimura painted with traditional Japanese techniques, I came closer to examine the modulations of surface textures, and was literally astonished to perceive faint gold writing in the sky of each painting. The Biblical texts, derived from the writing of Old Testament Prophets (in this case, Isaiah) offered hope and serenity at times of doubt and adversity. "Bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." The gold words were smudged, partially obscured by a darker wash as if the clouds were attempting to shelter the divine message. Formally, the words became an elegant adaptation of the colophon, or textual commentary an Asian artist adds as the completion to the pictorial part of his work.

44 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Makoto Fujimura, recently appointed Director of Fuller's Brehm Center, is an artist, writer, and speaker who is recognized worldwide as a cultural shaper. A Presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts from 2003-2009, Fujimura served as an international advocate for the arts, speaking with decision makers and advising governmental policies on the arts. In 2014, the American Academy of Religion, named Makoto Fujimura as its ’2014 Religion and the Arts’ award recipient. This award is presented annually to an artist, performer, critic, curator, or scholar who has made a significant contribution to the understanding of the relations among the arts and the religions, both for the academy and for a broader public. Previous recipients of the award include Meredith Monk, Holland Carter, Gary Snyder, Betye & Alison Saar and Bill Viola.

Fujimura’s work is represented by Artrue International and has been exhibited at galleries around the world, including Dillon Gallery in New York, Sato Museum in Tokyo, The Contemporary Museum of Tokyo, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts Museum, Bentley Gallery in Arizona, Gallery Exit and Oxford House at Taikoo Place in Hong Kong, and Vienna’s Belvedere Museum. He is one of the first artists to paint live on stage at New York City’s legendary Carnegie Hall as part of an ongoing collaboration with composer and percussionist Susie Ibarra.

A popular speaker, he has lectured at numerous conferences, universities and museums, including the Aspen Institute, Yale and Princeton Universities, Sato Museum and the Phoenix Art Museum. Fujimura founded the International Arts Movement in 1992, a non-profit whose “Encounter” conferences have featured cultural catalysts such as Dr. Elaine Scarry, Dennis Donoghue, Billy Collins, Dana Gioia, Calvin DeWitt and Miroslav Volf.

Fujimura’s second book, Refractions: A Journey of Faith, Art and Culture, is a collection of essays bringing together people of all backgrounds in a conversation and meditation on culture, art, and humanity. In celebration of the 400th Anniversary of the King James Bible, Crossway Publishing commissioned and published The Four Holy Gospels, featuring Fujimura’s illuminations of the sacred texts.

In 2011 the Fujimura Institute was established and launched the Four Qu4rtets, a collaboration between Fujimura, painter Bruce Herman, Duke theologian/pianist Jeremy Begbie, and Yale composer Christopher Theofanidis, based on T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. The exhibition will travel to Baylor, Duke, and Yale Universities, Gordon College and other institutions around the globe.

Bucknell University honored him with the Outstanding Alumni Award in 2012.
He is a recipient of four Doctor of Arts Honorary Degrees; from Belhaven University in 2011, Biola University in 2012, Cairn University in 2014 and Roanoke College , in February 2015.

Reviews

[Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this as a reward for funding his Kickstarter. Fujimura is an incredibly interesting and devout artist. The colors are phenomenal, and this edition (except for a very poorly-chosen font) showcases them well.