Pencil, charcoal and watercolor on paper

50 x 33.5 cm. 19 5/8 x 13 1/4 in.

Signed in Chinese and English, located and dated on bottom left

LITERATURE
2001, Leonard-Tsuguharu Foujita: Sa vie, son oeuvre(Vol.2), Sylvie & Dominique Buisson, ACR Creation Realisation, Paris, p.338
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Asia

Where the Ones in the Dream Reside
the Exotic Life of Foujita
Among the “Ecole de Paris” in the 1920s, Tsuguharu Foujita was undoubtedly the most dazzling star. In 1925, he was awarded the highest honor of the French government, the Legion of Honor, proving his artistic achievements. He originally combined the traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e skill of line drawing with the chiaroscuro technique of Western painting to present a creamy texture of human skin, fully conveying the traditional East-Asian concept of “white skin represents beauty.” Foujita devoted himself to the development of this painting technique from 1921 to 1931, during which he fell in love with Youki and painted a large number of sketches and paintings with Youki as the model. The work, Youki in Her Dream (Lot 658), is an example as such. Later on, in 1932, the trip to Mexico inspired Foujita with a new theme. In his work, Le Jeune Mexican (Lot 657), the Mexican costume displays an exotic atmosphere, which became a signature of his artistic creation. Throughout his life, Foujita lived in Paris as an outlander. His dreamlike brushstrokes reflected the passers-by in his life and shed his love for art on this foreign land.
A Misty Exotic Love
In 1923, Foujita fell in love with Lucie Badoud in Paris, to whom he gave the name Youki, meaning “snow” in Japanese, in praise of her radiant and soft skin. Youki had since become the muse of Foujita, continuously bringing him inspirations. Foujita’s paintings were often started with pencil sketches on butter paper to develop the composition. Then he shades it with black ink to give volume and depth and perfect the details. The work, Youki in Her Dream, was not applied with his creamy white paint, yet it still presents the texture of skin reflected by oil paint. The translucent skin of Youki in the painting miraculously glows with soft lustre, set off by the silhouette of the female figure. Moreover, the texture of butter paper adds a romantic ambiance to Youki’s profile in her dream, as if the sleeping beauty is actually in the artist’s dream. The close-up view of the painting shows the intimate gaze of the artist to his lover, as well as the intense emotion he devoted to this painting, revealing his effusive admiration for Youki.
A Lively Exotic Atmosphere
To integrate into the Parisian society as soon as possible, Foujita often wore strange costumes in public when he first arrived. Surprisingly, these foreign customs brought him massive attention and favor. When he went to Mexico in November 1932, he created a series of portraits of local people. Different from the focus on the lines and luster of human body in his nude paintings, the Mexican portraits vividly capture the characters’ temperament. In the painting, Le Jeune Mexican, the sad eyes of the juvenile are looking at the distance in silence, showing the melancholy peculiar to adolescents. Dressed in a traditional white coat and a sombrero, the juvenile bears typical Mexican features. His brown skin different from the Eurasians appears healthy and powerful, especially against the white clothing. The outlines sketched by the charcoal create a halo encompassing the figure, making his exotic appearance even more mysterious. Foujita’s unique painting techniques were highly respected by the Parisian painting scene. Whether it is a Parisian girl or a South American alien, they all seem like from the dream of Foujita, depicted by his delicate brushstrokes and dancing with him in the age crazy for art.

Price estimate:
HKD: 380,000 - 480,000
USD: 48,700 - 61,500

Auction Result:
HKD: 531,000