FUMIHISA ENDO
M .A .D . G A L L E RY MODA
ARTE
DESIGN
Analisi critica a cura della Dott.ssa Carlota Calvi Fernandez
Fumisha Endo is a contemporary Japanese artist. His career as an artist began quite recently and he says himself that he approached the world of painting only at the age of 40 as a self-taught artist. In every artwork he always tries to re-elaborate and reinterpret the traditional Japanese philosophy by adjusting it into more modern and current times. His work stands out for the different themes and subjects, with a very personal style, outcome of reflections on the artistic Japanese culture, the Zen philosophy and every art associated to it. The artworks vary from human figures to still life, but what they have in common is the fact that the form of the subject looks deformed, almost evanescent, detached from the reality. The Japanese art has always been characterized by this kind of representation, following a minimalistic and introspective approach. Because of this, his paintings never focus on the subject but on the idea. The Buddhist philosophy is always looking for the real meaning of the world, by releasing from every superficial element attached to the life on Earth.
As a result, the arts connected to the Zen philosophy tend to appreciate the objects in their natural and essential state and are obsessively and constantly looking for a representation of the light and of the space that could cancel earthly concepts like the shape, in order to reach an absolute and eternal state. The paintings are mostly black and white or with fading colours and represent the subjects just with their most significant and fundamental lines, in order to give more importance to empty spaces and personal reflections. The subjects of Endo’s artworks always seem like hints appearing through fog and mist. In the artworks of the Zen tradition the attention is on the reflection before the actual representation and this is fundamental to gradually reach an high level of mindfulness. The way of painting of Endo follows this tradition: he paints carefully and meditates a lot during this process and considers his art complete only after 17 years. He also promotes the art of tea to help with the meditation. The subject of Endo’s artworks is often represented and outlined by black lines and flat areas of lightly shaded colour, like the Japanese tradition of Ukyoe prints. Another significant element is the support as he only paints on paper, other than silk, always following the Japanese tradition. The most used painting paper in Japan is washi, and it differs from our paper for its richer texture that allows the painting to appear full-bodied and to better distinguish every single element: this is the reason the colours appear clearer and faded. Considering Endo’s career it’s possible to notice the constant challenge to discover every potential the art can offer, like techniques, languages or instruments and to reinterpret the world as a contemporary and innovative artist as he is. Carlota Calvi Fernandez
Progetto grafico | Andrea Massucco
MAD GALLERY MILANO – Corso San Gottardo 18 | Milano Curators Alessandra Magni, Carlo Greco
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