Masahiro Watanabe, painter of Paris scenery for 39 years

Having lived in Paris for 39 years and devoted himself to painting its scenery, Christian painter Masahiro Watanabe returned to Japan during the pandemic. During an exhibition of his paintings at Ginza Kousin Gallery in October 2021, Christian Shimbun interviewed him.

Watanabe was born in Yamagata Prefecture. Upon graduating from college there, he moved to Tokyo to work as a schoolteacher while waiting for an opportunity to move to Paris. He had a strong desire to see with his own eyes the cityscape painted by Yuzo Saeki. Watanabe has also been inspired by the writing of Arimasa Mori (Mori lived in Paris for many years). It was his mother’s death that led Watanabe to read the Bible and to eventually be baptized in March 1982, just a little before moving to Paris. He was 33.

He began his life in Paris as a student at art school. During this time, he would occasionally win an award sponsored by a local art gallery. But after five years he became unable to paint at all. Looking back, Watanabe believes that it was time needed for his sense of space to shift. He had to adjust his senses to the Paris scenery, which was entirely different from what he had grown up with. After three difficult years, having been encouraged by his wife’s affirmation that he was a painter before anything else, he took up his paintbrush again, this time with a new sense of mission as a Christian painter.

Watanabe believes he has a two-fold mission. He must commit himself to God’s plan through honing his God-given art skills. He must also perform his societal responsibility through producing art for spiritual empowerment. Both faith and art can touch and inspire people at a deep spiritual level, Watanabe believes, and he stands at the juncture of the two.

The French began to appreciate and purchase his works twenty years ago. But he only became able to make a living solely through painting ten years ago. After decades of experiments and training, Watanabe now feels that he is finally able to express in his paintings what he senses and sees. He plans to paint Japanese scenery from now on. He believes that, as an artist who has become aware that he’s approaching the end of his life, it is his responsibility to tackle the scenery of his home country.

From Christian Shimbun, November 7, 2021
Translated by Atsuko Tateishi