Tsuguharu Foujita

Japanese: 藤田嗣治 - ふじたつぐはる

Born: November 27, 1886 in Tokyo, Japan
[Died] January 29, 1968. Zurich, Switzerland. A Western-style painter of French nationality. The second son of Fujita Tsuguaki, who later became the Chief Surgeon of the Army. In 1905, he entered the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and studied under Kuroda Seiki and Wada Eisaku. He graduated from the school in 1910 and traveled to France in 1913. He became acquainted with Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani, and was accepted as a member of the École de Paris, holding a solo exhibition in 1917. All six of his works that he exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in 1919 were selected and he was recommended to become a member of the association, where they were highly praised for their white paint texture reminiscent of the delicate surface of porcelain and their elegant line drawings with precise drawing skills. Meanwhile, in Japan, he exhibited at the Teiten (official exhibition) from 1922 onwards, became a judge for the Teiten in 1924, a member of the Nikakai in 1934, and a member of the Teikoku Art Academy (Japan Art Academy) in 1941, but resigned in 1955. During that time, he returned to Japan in 1929 and 1933, but travelled to France three times. He returned to Japan in 1940 due to the war, and painted many war documentary paintings during World War II. In 1949, he left the Japanese art world and travelled to France, where he obtained French citizenship in 1955, and was baptised as a Catholic in 1959, becoming Léonard Foujita (officially Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita). In 1966, he designed the building of the Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix Chapel in Reims (Fujita Chapel), and painted murals and stained glass depicting the life of Christ, but died of illness shortly thereafter. His major works include "Parisian Landscape" (1918, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo), "Five Nudes" (1923, same museum), "Before the Ball" (1925, Ohara Museum of Art), "House in the Dordogne" (1940, Artizon Museum), and "My Dream" (1947, Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art).

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

[生]1886.11.27. 東京，東京
[没]1968.1.29. スイス，チューリヒ
フランス国籍の洋画家。のちに軍医総監になった藤田嗣章のニ男。1905年東京美術学校に入学し黒田清輝，和田英作に学ぶ。1910年に同校を卒業，1913年渡仏。パブロ・ピカソ，アメデオ・モジリアニらを知り，エコール・ド・パリの一員として認められ 1917年に個展を開催。1919年サロン・ドートンヌに出品した 6点全部が入選し同会会員に推され，精妙な陶器の肌を思わせる白い絵具のマチエールと，的確なデッサン力をもった流麗な線描による表現は高く評価された。一方，国内では 1922年以降帝展（→官展）に出品し，1924年帝展審査員，1934年二科会会員となり，1941年帝国芸術院（→日本美術院）会員になるが 1955年に辞任。その間 1929，1933年に帰国したものの三たび渡仏。1940年戦争のため帰国し，第2次世界大戦中は多くの戦争記録画を描いた。1949年日本画壇と決別して渡仏，1955年にフランス国籍を取得し，1959年にはカトリックの洗礼を受けてレオナール・フジタ Léonard Foujita（正式には Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita）となった。1966年ランスのノートル・ダム・ド・ラ・ペ礼拝堂（フジタ礼拝堂）の建物を設計し，キリスト伝の壁画，ステンドグラスを描いたが，まもなく病没。主要作品に『パリ風景』（1918，東京国立近代美術館），『五人の裸婦』（1923，同），『舞踏会の前』（1925，大原美術館），『ドルドーニュの家』（1940，アーティゾン美術館），『私の夢』（1947，新潟県立近代美術館）などがある。

出典　ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典について　情報

<<: Touko Fujita

>>: Sadasuke Fujita