NHK World Prime S2023E07 - Blues from the Obscure

There are artists devoted to creation, not for others, not even for themselves, but only for the sake of creating. This film looks at the life and creations of a man who rarely leaves home and never stops painting. Why do people create? Nishimura Issei (44) began making art when he was 19 years old. He left Nagoya and moved to Tokyo with a dream of becoming a musician, but mental illness forced him to return home. For the 25 years since, he has been in his room painting like the canvas was his savior. He almost never leaves the house and doesn't even attend his own exhibitions. This documentary records a year in the life of Nishimura; the cameras witnessing him create his art, a scene no one besides his family has ever seen. Astonishing works by a proud and solitary artist ask "What is art?" and "What does it mean to live in this world?"