The Centripetal Art of Junko Chodos, Matrix of Spiritual Growth

foreword over the course of the last thirty-seven years, as my marriage to the artist Junko Chodos has lasted longer and become deeper, my relationship with her art has intensified. from the outset I encouraged her to dedicate herself to her art, but this was only out of respect for her own passionate connection to it: I had no idea whether her work was any good and I could not know whether it would have meaning to anyone else in the world but her. at the time, I identified myself as a person who knew nothing about art and had no interest in it. My creative interests lay in computers and law, in literature and philosophy, and in music: art was something for other people. so when I saw that Junko identified herself as an artist I wanted to support her and encourage her, but I had to do that from the outside. It was always more than just financial support: I often researched art materials and went with her to the art supply stores and I insisted that the largest and best-lit space in our home should always be her studio. But most important: we agreed that we would construct our new life together in such a way that she would have as much time as she wanted in her studio free from interruptions. This was a second marriage for both of us and we were eager to identify what was most important to us and to construct our life together consciously. Junko was better at this than I was: having lived all her life in Japan, she had already decided to leave her homeland behind her and live as an immigrant in america. That required a level of conscious decision-making that had never been required of me. I was still trying hard in those days to build a bridge between my inner and outer worlds and I had not yet found a pathway into my inner world. Junko already had an urgent need to paint Opposite: deTaIl fRoM ReQuIeM foR an eXeCuTed BIRd, no. 42 (1991) Mixed Media on paper forword p. 1

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Centripetal Art of Junko Chodos, Matrix of Spiritual Growth

PREFACE

-Definition of Centripetal Art -Its Place In Art History: After the Postmodern Period -Introducing the Subject Matter: One Centripetal Artist's Journey -The Relationship With Multiculturalism -After the Death of God and of Art

FOREWORD

-How the Author's Connection With His Wife's Art Grew More Intimate Over the Years -Learning In Marriage -"Why Does God Need To Paint?" [Section One] Individual Visitants -Dead Flowers and Root -Lungs and Rib Cage

CHAPTER FOUR - A Vital Spirituality

-Why This Art Could Not Have Been Created Earlier -Echoes of the Spiritual Arts of the Early 20th Century -The Impact of the Atomic Bomb; Ecological Concerns -Markers for Spirituality -Centripetal Art Overflows the Studio: Therapy

CHAPTER SIX - A Complex Spirituality

-Spirituality of the 21st Century

AFTERWORD - THE FURNACE

-Polytheism and Monotheism in Art -Goethe’s Aphorism -Marriage and the Alchemist’s Furnace Themes In Series

PREFACE

(Page I) The Centripetal Art of Junko Chodos, Matrix of Spiritual Growth - -Definition of Centripetal Art (Page II) The Centripetal Art of Junko Chodos, Matrix of Spiritual Growth - -The Relationship With Multiculturalism (Page III) The Centripetal Art of Junko Chodos, Matrix of Spiritual Growth - -After the Death of God and of Art (Page IV) The Centripetal Art of Junko Chodos, Matrix of Spiritual Growth -

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