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Lot Essay
‘All these little fairies-girls bear the same forehead as smooth as silk! They are solemn. Their wide pupils show an empty fixedness, bottomless wells in which maybe remains some inexpressive knowledge, in front of which we lower our eyes such as in the gaze of newborns’ –Robert Rey on the occasion of Foujita’s first exhibition at Paul Petrides Gallery
Initially acquired directly from the famous Paul Pétridès Gallery in 1957 by a prestigious collector, Jeune fille aux roses was remained in the same private collection until the recent rediscovery. Executed in the 1950s when Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita returned to Paris after travelling around the world for two decades, Jeune fille aux roses is an exemplar of Foujita’s mastery of techniques and the pleasure he found in his subjects. As Sylvie Buisson once stated, ‘To travel in the work of Foujita signifies embarking for Cythera, forgetting the baggage on the banks and penetrating into a world situated halfway between the Orient and the Occident, at the fancy of a man in constant renewal and of his soul, perfected with the same dew that baths the leaves of the maple trees in Japan and those of the plane trees in Paris’ (S. Buisson (ed.), Foujita Inédits, Paris, 2007, p.16).
The artist began his second phase of French creativity in the 50s, shifting from depicting nude figures to focusing on portraitures of young women and children. As the artist once articulated on the occasion of his first exhibition at Paul Petrides Gallery in 1950, ‘As a reaction to the violent times, I imagined a few very tender subjects, even very childish, one could say.’ Jeune fille aux roses features a young girl as its subject, and exquisitely envelops the sentiments of serenity, calm and playfulness Foujita is known for. The doll-like girl represents an iconic portraiture style the artist advanced since the early 50s, and she radiates an alluring innocence whilst possessing the elegant quality of traditional portrait paintings. Sitting serenely in a secluded setting with a rose bouquet in her hands, the girl gazes beyond the canvas with decency that emanates spiritual purity. The application of bright colours together with a particular technique called le grand fond blanc–the use of the milky white base in combination with subtle grey tones, is another characteristic that stands out during this period of Foujita’s artistic career and highlights the porcelain quality of the figure he portrayed. The vermillion hair scarf and open-shoulder sleeves underline the ivory and translucent skin of the girl’s face and upper chest, while the blend of oils and white talcum powder creates a delicate translucent surface. By the time Foujita painted Jeune fille aux roses in 1957, he had drawn human subjects for many decades and became virtuoso of portraiture with his fine and delicate lines, as the French modernist author Paul Morand once observed, ‘Foujita’s mastery of drawing refined lines on a flawlessly ivory white canvas and his depiction of shadow in a non-material form created a pure and mysterious form of art.’
Initially acquired directly from the famous Paul Pétridès Gallery in 1957 by a prestigious collector, Jeune fille aux roses was remained in the same private collection until the recent rediscovery. Executed in the 1950s when Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita returned to Paris after travelling around the world for two decades, Jeune fille aux roses is an exemplar of Foujita’s mastery of techniques and the pleasure he found in his subjects. As Sylvie Buisson once stated, ‘To travel in the work of Foujita signifies embarking for Cythera, forgetting the baggage on the banks and penetrating into a world situated halfway between the Orient and the Occident, at the fancy of a man in constant renewal and of his soul, perfected with the same dew that baths the leaves of the maple trees in Japan and those of the plane trees in Paris’ (S. Buisson (ed.), Foujita Inédits, Paris, 2007, p.16).
The artist began his second phase of French creativity in the 50s, shifting from depicting nude figures to focusing on portraitures of young women and children. As the artist once articulated on the occasion of his first exhibition at Paul Petrides Gallery in 1950, ‘As a reaction to the violent times, I imagined a few very tender subjects, even very childish, one could say.’ Jeune fille aux roses features a young girl as its subject, and exquisitely envelops the sentiments of serenity, calm and playfulness Foujita is known for. The doll-like girl represents an iconic portraiture style the artist advanced since the early 50s, and she radiates an alluring innocence whilst possessing the elegant quality of traditional portrait paintings. Sitting serenely in a secluded setting with a rose bouquet in her hands, the girl gazes beyond the canvas with decency that emanates spiritual purity. The application of bright colours together with a particular technique called le grand fond blanc–the use of the milky white base in combination with subtle grey tones, is another characteristic that stands out during this period of Foujita’s artistic career and highlights the porcelain quality of the figure he portrayed. The vermillion hair scarf and open-shoulder sleeves underline the ivory and translucent skin of the girl’s face and upper chest, while the blend of oils and white talcum powder creates a delicate translucent surface. By the time Foujita painted Jeune fille aux roses in 1957, he had drawn human subjects for many decades and became virtuoso of portraiture with his fine and delicate lines, as the French modernist author Paul Morand once observed, ‘Foujita’s mastery of drawing refined lines on a flawlessly ivory white canvas and his depiction of shadow in a non-material form created a pure and mysterious form of art.’