"Tapestry Nude" by Tsuguharu Foujita, oil on canvas, 1923
A nude woman and a cat are seated on a bed, gazing at the viewer. In order to accentuate the nude woman's white skin, a gorgeous poppy flower pattern of Jouy cloth is draped in the background. Jouy cloth is a hand-dyed fabric also known as French chintz, and Fujita has shown his respect for traditional craftsmanship through his detailed depiction of the fabric. Next to the nude woman is an adorable brown tabby cat with a distinctive white belly. Lying in a relaxed position with its hind legs stretched out, this cat is modeled after one that Fujita had as a pet at the time, and has frequently appeared in his other works.
In the 1920s, Fujita firmly established his position in the French art world as he produced a succession of works depicting nude women and cats. The motif of nude women and cats eventually became synonymous with Fujita, and he continued to paint them for a long time afterwards. Nude on a Canopy, created in 1954, is one such work.
Tsuguharu Foujita, Nude on Canopy, 1954
- However, the impression is very different from the nude and cat works painted in the 1920s. The gorgeous Jouy cloth that Fujita once painted with the nude is no longer visible, and instead, the eye is drawn to a crimson curtain with beautiful drapery. The nude has her face turned away, and if you look closely, you can see a modestly sleeping cat on the floor. Furthermore, the painting believed to be by Fujita and the plaster wall decorated with a cross give a sense of simplicity and plainness.
These changes seen in the works of nudes and cats are probably not unrelated to Fujita's growing interest in Christianity in his later years. After returning to France in 1950, Fujita began to paint many young girls with their heads covered in veils or scarves, which represent piety and obedience, but he moved away from creating nude statues such as those seen in "Nude in Tapestry." As a result, the cat's place in his work shifted from beside the nude to in the arms of the young girl or girl. "Nude in Canopy" is a nude painted during this period, and is a valuable work that allows us to see the transition in Fujita's artistic career.
About the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
- The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto opened in 1963. It is located in Okazaki Park, the same park as Heian Shrine. The museum has a wide range of arts and crafts, including ceramics, lacquerware, and dyed and woven textiles, as well as Japanese paintings, oil paintings, prints, sculptures, and photographs, and holds exhibitions in a variety of genres. It also places emphasis on art from western Japan, including Kyoto.
The museum, which also has a collection of works by Foujita Tsuguharu, has hosted large-scale retrospectives of his work, including the "120th Anniversary of His Birth: Foujita Tsuguharu Exhibition" in 2006 and the "50th Anniversary of His Death: Foujita Tsuguharu Exhibition" in 2018.
Click here for more information on works by Foujita Tsuguharu in the collection of the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto 26-1 Okazaki Enshoji-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8344
https://www.momak.go.jp/
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