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Lot Essay
Born in Tokyo the son of an army doctor, Foujita overcame his father's resistance and pursued a career in painting. He studied with Kuroda Seiki (1866-1924) at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, graduated in 1910, and then worked under Wada Eisaku (1874-1959). Foujita made his home in Paris from 1913 until 1929, returning to Japan for several years in the 1930s. He eventually settled in France after World War II and became a naturalized French citizen in 1955. In Japan Foujita was a member of the Nikakai and winner of the Asahi Culture Prize in 1942, and in France he exhibited in the Salon d'Automne.
"Sumo wrestler" dates from the artist's brief return to Japan in the 1930s and is notable for the delicate drawing of the figure and arresting image. Since Foujita normally favored sensuous depictions of beautiful women and young girls, or fanciful renderings of cats, this painting is a rare departure into purely Japanese subject matter. He flourished in the art world of early twentieth-century Paris and created a recognizable, personal style derived from both Japanese and Western art traditions.
"Sumo wrestler" dates from the artist's brief return to Japan in the 1930s and is notable for the delicate drawing of the figure and arresting image. Since Foujita normally favored sensuous depictions of beautiful women and young girls, or fanciful renderings of cats, this painting is a rare departure into purely Japanese subject matter. He flourished in the art world of early twentieth-century Paris and created a recognizable, personal style derived from both Japanese and Western art traditions.