The following article is the report of the video conference held on March 16, 2021 by Sylvie Buisson for the ESTP Leaders’ Club [alumni of the École Supérieure de Travaux Publics].
It is signed by Ms. Zélie Gauthier – Head of the Maintenance and General Resources Department (S2MG), Real Estate and General Services Directorate and will be included in the upcoming issue of the review l’Ingénieur Constructeur.
Foujita expert for over 30 years, author of the General C
atalogue Raisonné of Foujita’s work and curator of numerous exhibitions worldwide, Sylvie Buisson honored us with her presence, via video on March 16, to retrace the journey of this atypical 20th-century painter.
From his childhood in Japan to his conversion to Catholicism in Reims, passing through the euphoria of the Roaring Twenties in Montparnasse: but always with recurring themes such as his love for Art, for life, for himself, and for women in particular. Born in 1886, having lost his mother at the age of 5, this runaway and later transgressive child was marginalized in his aristocratic family. He recreated a world around himself, particularly through art. After studying at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, he left for Paris in 1913. He made his name pronounceable for the French: Tsuguharu Fujita thus became Léonard Foujita. Without a master, without a student, without a code, he was very different from other painters of the era and, after trying Cubism and other styles of his friends, he created his own style inspired by both Japan and France.
A star among stars, this dandy, friend of Modigliani, Picasso, Matisse, Vlaminck, Soutine…, devoured parties, travels (he circumnavigated the globe 4 times), and women as much as he did work. A jack-of-all-trades, he was as much a painter as a sculptor, fashion designer, photographer… and, with his friends, revolutionized global painting. A subversive character, he lived to be noticed by using his look. Long before Andy Warhol, he staged himself to attract the attention of journalists. “Only the power of art can transcend borders and racial barriers to penetrate the hearts of men. In the friendship between two countries, the most useful exchange is that of artists.”
Author of a dazzling and personal Japonism, at the crossroads of East and West, he revealed his aesthetic biases and virtuosity in Paris, which opened the doors to international renown. Japan left him with a synthetic, pure, elusive side (emptiness is as important as fullness, this is the philosophy of “Ma”: the importance of space while everything is nevertheless connected), Paris offered him freedom of expression.
Foujita’s line is unfailingly precise, and his lines possess calligraphic finesse. His trademark also comes from a blend of techniques he invented: a white background on which he could apply both a very fine black line and oil paint. He created his material and achieved this particular white thanks to an emulsion of crushed oyster shells mixed with a binder (a technique recently discovered through scientific analysis).
White, black, and gold are his favorite colors. The cat (a mythical animal in Japan through which he projected himself) and women (surely due to the trauma of losing his mother) were his favorite subjects. This B&W contrast is inspired by TAO: two forces that drive and chain each other to connect to the great energy of the cosmos. This “Tao” movement (Yin and Yang) is often found in his paintings. Finally, to maintain a link with his ancestors, he also played with the philosophy of “Wabi Sabi,” which consists of a blend of the old and the modern. He drew inspiration from ancient works or techniques, French or Japanese, but also inserted “aged” objects into his works.
Seven women accompanied his life. For him, women were elevated to the rank of mother of the universe. First, his mother, then his Japanese fiancée whom he had to leave because the war prevented them from reuniting. Fernande Barrey, the flapper, was his 1st French wife in 1917. She was followed by Youki, then Madeleine (his favorite model with whom he traveled extensively), and finally Kimiyo (a young Japanese woman he met during his forced return to Japan as a painter shortly before World War 2). The 6th woman who mattered in his life while remaining his friend was Kiki de Montparnasse, the famous model, and the 7th, the Virgin Mary, who accompanied him since childhood (an intriguing statue in the Étoile du Matin school in Japan where he learned French as a high school student) in his mystical reflection.
Towards the end of his life, he reconnected with freedom. Ruined after the war, he returned to France and, within 6 months, through the sale of his works, he was able to resume his life as an artist without constraints, embracing Modernity, and also the Mystical… Indeed, he converted to Catholicism in 1959 and even went so far as to create and decorate a chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame de la Paix in Reims in 1966. A heavy smoker, he died of cancer in early 1968, but left behind a significant body of work comprising nearly 10,000 pieces.
A very rich life, therefore, passionately recounted in 1 hour (what a challenge!) but which you can find in more detail on the website md-webdesigner.com/foujita/ which provides information on Foujita’s life and work.
We concluded this virtual evening with discussions among members, led by our President Philippe François, and welcomed two new members to the Club:
- Jamila El Abdellaoui IG 00 – Agency Director Dumez IDF
- Raymond Le Roy Liberge TP 65 – President Sully Immobilier
