Oil， ink and mixed media on canvas

31×24.2 cm 12 1/4×9 1/2 in

Signed in English and Japanese， dated on bottom left
Signed in French and dated on reverse
PROVENANCE
Galerie Gilbert et Paul Pétridés
Important private collection， Asia

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authentication issued by Galerie Gilbert et Paul Pétridés and Tokyo Bitjisu ClubTsuguharu Foujita holds a special place in 20th century art history of the East and West. One can say that in the late 1910s， he was the most famous， successful and accomplished Oriental painter in art circles around Paris. In 1917， when he was 31 years old， the artist held his first solo exhibition at Galerie Chelon in paris. The event was visited by the famous artist Pablo Picasso， who studied the works closely for nearly three hours trying to understand Foujita’s unique style that is much different than that of the west. Finally， this master had nothing but sincere praise for him. A French newspaper of the time did a special report on the exhibition， asserting， “In the next two to three years， the work of Tsuguharu Foujita will be on a par with that of Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso and will be garnering great attention.” As one would expect following his success， in 1919， six of his works were admitted into the Salon d’Automne， displayed alongside Henri Matisse and Pierre Bonnard， and he was recommended to become an annual member of the exhibition. Three years later， he was nominated to the review board of the Société du Salon d’Automne， a supreme achievement of that time. A precocious bloomer， he painted works that displayed a wonderful use of whites as well as portrayals of the human body， receiving praise for his use of “wonderful milky whites.” His works were widely collected and displayed in internationally-recognized art museums such as the Musée du Louvre in Paris， the Musée d’art Moderne National of France， and Belgium’s Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique. In this autumn sale， we are offering a classic work created in his prime – Side Portrait of Lady.
A rebel against the mainstream
“Beginning with Fauvism and through the formation of my own unique brand of art， I have been profoundly impacted by Montparnasse and the drawings of it. But it’s different now， everything I paint is my own style； although they are representational， the paintings are technically very different from other painters. I paint with Japanese brush and ink and use colors with a sense of transparency， something have never been done before. Speaking of the incredible charm of the brush， it is just habitual and second nature to me； it flows through my blood as a descendent of the Orient. It firmly establishes my foundation as a Japanese person that traveled to the west. To me， it is absolutely necessary to use Japanese brush and ink in my oil paintings， and with just my thorough understanding of the west am I able to truly know the excellence of Oriental art.”
—— Tsuguharu Foujita
Looking back on 1913， Tsuguharu Foujita had just arrived in Paris. The popular artists of the time were Van Dongen with his rough and strong strokes， Matisse with his richness of colors， and Picasso with his cubism， all of whom had a major effect on the art world. Tsuguhara Foujita was lost， but after constantly searching for answers， he decided to do the opposite of what the popular artists of the time were doing： he would approach his work from his Oriental cultural roots， finding strength and inspiration in the traditional Japanese ukiyo-e style and the tension-filled woodblock prints of Katsushika Hokusai. He created pictures with oil paint and a slender brush pen （rather than the characteristic western paintbrush）， and experimented with re-creating smooth textures， such as those found on Japanese lacquerware， applied onto rough canvas. He used simple colors to show uniqueness and delicate perfection and to establish himself as an artist that goes against the grain. Side Portrait of Lady is a work that embraces such characteristics and sentiments.
The portrayal of beauty： a symphony of the complicated and the simple
In this picture， Foujita applies a layer of talcum powder onto the canvas using a special technique， then produces a milky white background from a special color mix before outlining a lady’s side face with a slander brush pen. Next， the artist wipes the canvas with a ball of cotton filled with charcoal dust to create a color transition and bring forth a three-dimensional appeal to the figure， underlining her smooth skin， a technique he learned from ukiyo-e. This is a delicate and perfect portrayal of the side of a face， with arched eyebrows， rosy lips， and her eyes staring into the distance…all features are depicted by simple strokes and colors. In contrast， the figure’s blonde hair radiates the power of complicity， a result of the artist’s amazing and sophisticated skills.
The artist gave us an explanation inscribed on the back of the canvas in regards to the identity of the person in the painting. The person portrayed in the work was a model from Montparnasse， Madeleine Lequeux. Born in Russia， Madeleine had refined facial features and she was the muse of many painters at the time. In addition to sitting as a model for painters， she was also a dancer at night clubs. She had a generous and cheerful personality. In his painting， Tsuguharu Foujita brought out the other side of her character， or one can say her true character， portraying her in a beautiful and serene way. Looking back on the life’s work of Foujita， he painted Madeleine a number of times as the focus of his portraits， particularly in the early 1930’s after he divorced with his second wife Yuki and fell in love with Madeleine. This work， completed in 1925 to 1926， was the earliest piece he had ever done for Madeleine. This work foreshadowed their future love， infusing it with meaning and significance.

Price estimate:
HKD: 900,000 – 1,200,000
USD: 115,400-154,400

Auction Result:
HKD: 1,085,600