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Lot Essay
"Foujita's art seems like the work of a magician or an illusionist. His paintings bloom like the flowers in Japanese stories, which have a mystical attraction to children. The contours in his works convey an extraordinary sense of sensitivity and stability. " - Art critic Andr? Warnod
In the late 1920s, L?onard Tsuguharu Foujita became one of the most celebrated artists residing in Paris. The Art critic Andr? Warnod thought his success was well-deserved, saying: "wealth and fame did not knock on the wrong door this time".
Unfortunately, the 1929 financial crisis in America eventually spread to Europe, severely hampering the European art market. The start of the 1930s also marked the end of the prosperous Golden Twenties which followed the First World War.
The 1930s was a crucial turning point in Foujita's artistic career. In 1931, he left Paris and embarked on a three-year journey through Central and South America. There, informed by the distinct culture and Mexican murals, Foujita started to employ more exuberant colors in his works. In September 1939, the outbreak of the Second World War forced Foujita to return to Japan for refuge. He only returned to settle in Paris in 1950. During this period, he gradually moved away from his earlier use of monochromatic tones in his works of nudes. Instead, he began to frame narratives in multicolored compositions.
Dolls and Girls and Les deux enfants portant le pain et le lait (Lot 3330) quintessentially demonstrate Foujita's evolving artistic style during this period. In both of these works, the artist has selected children as his main subject instead of the female nude. Thus he creates "a green paradise of innocent love (verts paradis des amours enfantines)."
In the late 1920s, L?onard Tsuguharu Foujita became one of the most celebrated artists residing in Paris. The Art critic Andr? Warnod thought his success was well-deserved, saying: "wealth and fame did not knock on the wrong door this time".
Unfortunately, the 1929 financial crisis in America eventually spread to Europe, severely hampering the European art market. The start of the 1930s also marked the end of the prosperous Golden Twenties which followed the First World War.
The 1930s was a crucial turning point in Foujita's artistic career. In 1931, he left Paris and embarked on a three-year journey through Central and South America. There, informed by the distinct culture and Mexican murals, Foujita started to employ more exuberant colors in his works. In September 1939, the outbreak of the Second World War forced Foujita to return to Japan for refuge. He only returned to settle in Paris in 1950. During this period, he gradually moved away from his earlier use of monochromatic tones in his works of nudes. Instead, he began to frame narratives in multicolored compositions.
Dolls and Girls and Les deux enfants portant le pain et le lait (Lot 3330) quintessentially demonstrate Foujita's evolving artistic style during this period. In both of these works, the artist has selected children as his main subject instead of the female nude. Thus he creates "a green paradise of innocent love (verts paradis des amours enfantines)."