Jeune fille aux épaules nues 1953

Tsuguharu Foujita made this delicate portrait of a young girl with what looks like watercolour and fine pen lines. The way he’s built the tone of the skin through thin washes reminds me of printmaking, where the image slowly emerges through layering. What I find compelling is the combination of precision and looseness. Look closely at the hands, the delicate rendering of the fingers against the more freely drawn lines of the background. This contrast creates a tension, a feeling of something caught between control and chance. It’s like a memory, precise in some details, hazy in others. Thinking about other artists, you could look at the work of Balthus, who also explored the transition between childhood and adolescence with a similar mix of tenderness and unease. But Foujita’s approach feels softer, more vulnerable. This piece is a reminder that art isn’t just about what we see, but how we feel.