Girl 1940

Fujishima Takeji painted this portrait of a girl, maybe in the early 20th century, with oil on canvas. The colours, a muted palette of blues, browns, and flesh tones, create a sense of tranquility. Up close, you can see how Takeji builds up the surface with layers of paint. Look at the way the background colour is dragged around the edges of the figure, rather than trying to blend everything seamlessly, instead leaving the marks of the brush exposed, capturing the immediacy of the painting process. The girl’s gaze is both direct and distant, and the simple, almost geometric shapes of her face are softened by the fluidity of the brushwork. Her lace collar especially seems so delicate and ephemeral, in contrast to the solid form of the girl herself. You might see a hint of Matisse in the flattening of form, a sense of decorative patterning and expressive use of colour to convey mood and emotion. It's an intimate and quietly powerful work.