His Most Famous Exhibition (The Splendor of the Medium) - Makoto Fujimura
Japanese-American artist Makoto Fujimura (born 1960) is leading young artists to create art, responsive to other media and to historic events in their lives.
Four of twenty paintings in his most famous painting exhibit, "The Splendor of the Medium," form 'The Four Quartets,' named after a T.
S.
Eliot poem that Fujimura admires deeply.
The individual painting "Splendor" is a part of this 'Quartets' group.
Fujimura's historical inspirations for "The Splendor of The Medium" were the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City and the atomic bomb blasts of WW2.
Other paintings in "The Splendor of the Medium" are based on a video Makoto filmed called 'Nagasaki Koi' in 2003.
He saw koi goldfish swimming placidly near the spot in Nagasaki, where the world's second atomic bomb was detonated.
Fujimura took still photos of some video scenes, then meditated on the blurred images, until the vision he sought came to his mind.
All of the artworks in the "The Splendor of the Medium" were created during 2003 and 2004, with "Nagasaki Koi" being the focal point of his most famous painting exhibition to date.
The vast multi-level interior of New York's Kristen Frederickson Gallery was ideal for the inaugural showing of Makoto's "The Splendor of the Medium," from October 10-November 20, 2004.
High ceilings and muted white walls of the Kristen Gallery facilitated multiple perspective view of the paintings, such as "Splendor" and the immense "Golden Pine," both painted in the Nihonga tradition.
Fujimura created "Golden Pine," measuring 198" x 270", on a canvas of kumohada, a special base blended from paper and heavy silk rag.
Nikawa, Japanese hide glue, was applied and then the gold leaf was gently placed, covering the base completely.
The mineral pigments for this work, mainly sugar-fine green malachite crystals and silver leaf, were brushed on over more Nikawa glue in a delicate configuration suggesting, rather than delineating, a pine tree.
"Splendor," what Fujimura calls 'Semi-Abstract Art,' captures well-defined ideas from the Eliot's poem.
Azurite, a rich blue stone, is the predominant mineral pigment, offset with four distinct zones of cinnabar, a rusty-red mineral pigment.
The mere hints of a deep black background appear in the painting.
"Splendor" measures a stately 78" x 54" in landscape format.
'Nihonga Painting' has both technical and spiritual beauty.
The faceted mineral pigment crystals catch and refract the light differently from every angle, yielding unique impressions for each viewer.
The Kumohada paper, Nikawa glue, and mineral pigments join earthly and celestial elements.
"The Splendor of the Medium" paintings go beyond the definition of 'Abstract' to reveal Makoto Fujimura's own inner landscape.
The paintings aim to lift the viewer into a greater awareness of the spiritual aspects of life.
Viewers and critics alike, applaud "The Splendor of the Medium" for unforgettably achieving its purpose.
Four of twenty paintings in his most famous painting exhibit, "The Splendor of the Medium," form 'The Four Quartets,' named after a T.
S.
Eliot poem that Fujimura admires deeply.
The individual painting "Splendor" is a part of this 'Quartets' group.
Fujimura's historical inspirations for "The Splendor of The Medium" were the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City and the atomic bomb blasts of WW2.
Other paintings in "The Splendor of the Medium" are based on a video Makoto filmed called 'Nagasaki Koi' in 2003.
He saw koi goldfish swimming placidly near the spot in Nagasaki, where the world's second atomic bomb was detonated.
Fujimura took still photos of some video scenes, then meditated on the blurred images, until the vision he sought came to his mind.
All of the artworks in the "The Splendor of the Medium" were created during 2003 and 2004, with "Nagasaki Koi" being the focal point of his most famous painting exhibition to date.
The vast multi-level interior of New York's Kristen Frederickson Gallery was ideal for the inaugural showing of Makoto's "The Splendor of the Medium," from October 10-November 20, 2004.
High ceilings and muted white walls of the Kristen Gallery facilitated multiple perspective view of the paintings, such as "Splendor" and the immense "Golden Pine," both painted in the Nihonga tradition.
Fujimura created "Golden Pine," measuring 198" x 270", on a canvas of kumohada, a special base blended from paper and heavy silk rag.
Nikawa, Japanese hide glue, was applied and then the gold leaf was gently placed, covering the base completely.
The mineral pigments for this work, mainly sugar-fine green malachite crystals and silver leaf, were brushed on over more Nikawa glue in a delicate configuration suggesting, rather than delineating, a pine tree.
"Splendor," what Fujimura calls 'Semi-Abstract Art,' captures well-defined ideas from the Eliot's poem.
Azurite, a rich blue stone, is the predominant mineral pigment, offset with four distinct zones of cinnabar, a rusty-red mineral pigment.
The mere hints of a deep black background appear in the painting.
"Splendor" measures a stately 78" x 54" in landscape format.
'Nihonga Painting' has both technical and spiritual beauty.
The faceted mineral pigment crystals catch and refract the light differently from every angle, yielding unique impressions for each viewer.
The Kumohada paper, Nikawa glue, and mineral pigments join earthly and celestial elements.
"The Splendor of the Medium" paintings go beyond the definition of 'Abstract' to reveal Makoto Fujimura's own inner landscape.
The paintings aim to lift the viewer into a greater awareness of the spiritual aspects of life.
Viewers and critics alike, applaud "The Splendor of the Medium" for unforgettably achieving its purpose.
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