Artist Makota Fujimura (to whose blog we link in our sidebar) has written a personal book on his life and art, called River Grace. Alissa Wilkinson says, “With gentleness and elegance, Fujimura’s book examines the relationship between faith, art, and love.” There are many beautiful illustrations and stories behind the work.
Tim Challies has a good interview with Fujimura, which the artist says, “Good art (whether created by Christians or non-Christians) should produce a longing for that reality.”
Learn more about River Grace at the website.
“Good art (whether created by Christians or non-Christians) should produce a longing for that reality.”
– I agree; as long as the art is actually about Reality… not just something the artist thinks reality is. In other words I think true art conforms to the created order.
– p.s. Fufimura has a couple online lectures at;
http://www.chestertonhouse.org/resources/audio
Allow me to say a couple things more. (I’d like people to tell me what Fujimura intends by the quote… if they would be so good.)
– I don’t know nearly as much about art as I’d like; but take the paintings of Jackson Pollack; it seems to me his idea of reality is that it’s chaos… or random chance. Other artists give us a view of reality as humanly imposed. Some artists (let’s say inspired by Freud or Darwin) see reality as instinctual… based on animal instincts…. irrational passions…) Art based on these conceptions of reality rarely appeal to me. I believe reality is the created order of God; and true art reflects that.
I think I was sloppy in my quotation. Here’s the context.
Q. Have you ever thought about what art will be like in the new heavens and new earth? Do you suppose you’ll be able to continue to create art for God’s glory for all eternity?
A. All the time…Art taps into the glory of the transcendent, and earthy, realities of the new heavens and new earth. Good art (whether created by Christians or non-Christians) should produce a longing for that reality.
So Fujimura is saying the good stuff has echoes of heaven or the new creation.
Thanks; I think I have a better idea of what he meant now.