Silence by Shusaku Endo

Share

To me, this moment encapsulates the themes and tensions of Endo’s entire book. The scene is both a literal drowning, and also, I see it as a metaphor for the heaviness the main character feels as he is drowning in the doubt of his own faith. It is the weight of the silence of God.

I’ve included the section from Endo’s book below.

“But now Garrpe had rushed forward and, raising both arms, had plunged from the shore into the sea. Sending up clouds of spray he was approaching the boat and, as he swam, he was shouting something

‘Lord, hear our prayer ...!’

In that voice there was no tone of censure, nothing of anger, and it would fade out as the black head sank down between the waves. ‘Lord, hear our prayer ..!’

Leaning over the side of the boat, the officials showed their white teeth as they laughed. One of them, passing his lance from one hand to the other, mocked Garrpe as he tried to get near the boat. But now the head was lost in the sea and the voice was still. But then, all at once, it appeared again like a piece of black dust, buffeted about by the waves. The voice was feebler than before, but again and again it kept shouting something.

Now an official set up one of the Christians at the side of the ship and pushed him vigorously with the tip of his lance. Just like a puppet the figure of straw fell into the sea and disappeared from sight. Then with dramatic speed the next went under. Finally Monica was swallowed up by the sea. Only the head of Garrpe, like a piece of wood from a shipwrecked boat, floated for some time on the water until the waves from the boat covered it over.”

⁃ A section of Silence by Shusaku Endo translated by William Johnston

Influences:

The two paintings below are visual influences for this work. Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth shows a woman surrounded by her foreboding landscape.

The Great Wave by Hokusai is one of the most famous paintings in the world and is a classic example of Ukiyo-e printmaking.

Share Abigail’s Substack

I purchased a priest costume, and I asked a big favor from Jonathan, a pastor friend of mine. It was a chilly October… and he was submerged for 3 minutes!

The Sketch:

I adjusted this sketch to fit a wrap-around cover. As you can see, in the final image, the viewer is further away from the figure and one can see more of the seascape.

The Drawing:

When creating a final drawing, I try to incorporate the gesture and feeling of the sketch from imagination with the formal accuracy of the photo reference. The right balance of reference in relation to gesture is difficult to define, but I have found lately, I try to lean further toward the sketch so as not to lose the whimsical aspect of the design. This drawing was transferred to the watercolor paper with a light board. His shoe was lost at sea.

The Painting:

The original painting is a watercolor. I used a slow-drying medium for the large wash of a newly purchased green, Oxide of Chromium.

The final painting at the top has a little iPad magic (Procreate) to strengthen the silhouette and give some watery agitation.