La Vie 1917

Tsuguharu Foujita made this painting, La Vie, with oils, and it feels like he worked with thin layers, letting the surface breathe. It’s like I can feel Foujita searching for the right form, that elegant, drooping head. There is a lot of tenderness in those hands, which I imagine must have been very difficult to paint. The blue garment is just a few strokes, but it has an emotional pull, especially against the peachy skin and blushing cheek. It makes me think about how much painting is about touch, both the artist’s touch on the canvas and our emotional experience of the painting. The little boat in the background seems to nod towards Japanese prints. I can see his conversation with so many art forms here, as he paints and repaints in the studio. And that’s what art is, right? A constant conversation, a give-and-take across time, inspiring each other to keep creating.