Portrait of Western Woman

Born in Kagoshima, FUJISHIMA Takeji started studying Japanese painting but then moved to Tokyo to study Western painting, entering the Gajuku Seikokan School where he studied under YAMAMOTO Hosui. A work that he showed at this time, ‘Muzan’ (Cruelty), received high praise from the author and art critic MORI Ogai. He was friendly with KURODA Seiki, who also came from Kagoshima, remaining in touch while KURODA was studying in France and upon his return, KURODA was able to recommend him for a post as assistant professor in the Western Painting Department of the Tokyo School of Fine Art.
At a time that is better known for its Meiji Romanticism, FUJISHIMA won acclaim for his works that displayed the influence of Western fin-de-siecle art and in 1905 he traveled to Europe to study for four years. The picture shown here was painted while he was living in Europe. Traveling to both France and Italy, he studied in Italy under Carolus-Duran who excelled at portraiture. He also turned his hand to book covers and binding. The majority of his paintings possessed a mellifluous, decorative feel but in the work shown here, a woman dressed in white looks towards the viewer while standing against a simple background of a darkened room, offering us a glimpse of the way in which his style changed.