I am reading Makoto Fujimura’s intricate, personal, and intelligent 2016 book, Silence and Beauty: Hidden Faith Born of Suffering. This book weaves Fujimura’s particular approach to Nigonga painting, “slow art” as he calls it, with Shūsaku Endō stunning novel, Silence, and Fujimura’s own experiences as a bicultural Japanese-American who finds Christian faith in–of all places–his ancestral home of Japan. This minidoc captures the heart of Fujimura’s work, stylistically and theologically:

In preparing a lecture where I use Makoto Fujimura’s work and writing to talk about Silence, I was on his website and found a link to an intriguing project. Artist Makoto Fujimura is joined by artist Bruce Herman, composer Christopher Theofanidis, and theologian of beauty Jeremy Begbie to respond to T.S. Eliot‘s great work, The Four Quartets. While I was not able to attend the original installation at Duke or any of the places on the tour, this short documentary captures the beauty and depth of the response. I hope you enjoy this Feature Friday treat!

Except from “Little Gidding” and the closing of T.S. Eliot’s The Four Quartets

Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always–
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flames are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one.