Makoto Fujimura: Silence and Spirit in Visual Art

Makoto Fujimura looms large within the world of contemporary art — a world that isn’t always sure what to do with him. He is celebrated and widely exhibited to rave reviews. Yet his Christian faith - that is as rich, as true, and as lightly-worn as his art - makes him something of an anomaly in the company of the art world. But then there is the art itself, the colors lush and impressionistic, sometimes redolent of great North American artists like Mark Rothko and Agnes Martin, as well as traditional Japanese painting, all in an original, personal, and deeply inviting synthesis. Fujimura is also highly articulate about his work, the nature of art, and art’s role within society, which makes him a sought-after speaker, writer, and teacher.

He is the author most recently of Art and Faith: A Theology of Making (together with N.T. Wright), and before that of several important books including Silence and Beauty: Hidden Faith Born of Suffering, which is in part a meditation on Shusaku Endo’s Silence and the Martin Scorcese film adaptation.

From Makoto Fujimura, The Four Holy Gospels

in 2011 he was commissioned to produce an illuminated Four Gospels, each illuminated letter that begins a new chapter serving as an invitation into meditation upon the text that follows.

Explore his work, writings, ideas, further at makotofujimura.com. But as he points out, you’ll really want to see his work in person. And make sure you have plenty of time to explore each.