{"title":"French Religious Paintings","description":"\u003ch2\u003eFrench Religious Paintings\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrench religious paintings occupy an important place within the broader history of sacred art, offering collectors works shaped by devotion, patronage and changing artistic ideals. These paintings can be intimate or grand, but the best examples carry both emotional seriousness and visual coherence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhat Collectors Look For\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSubjects may include saints, biblical episodes, the Virgin and Child or scenes of contemplation and sacrifice. What distinguishes the strongest works is not only the subject itself but the artist’s ability to give it form, weight and conviction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eStyle, Subject and Period Character\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eCollectors are often drawn to these paintings for their historical resonance as much as their artistry. They can preserve a record of belief, symbolism and aesthetic priorities across different periods of French art.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eHow to Evaluate Quality\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eCondition, restoration history and compositional integrity are essential considerations. A persuasive religious painting should sustain interest through its atmosphere, figural handling and emotional clarity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFrench Religious Paintings at M.S. Rau\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eM.S. Rau presents French religious paintings selected for craftsmanship, historical depth and connoisseurial interest. Each work is chosen for quality, condition and the seriousness with which it carries its subject.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"portrait-of-a-mother-and-child-by-tsuguharu-foujita","title":"Portrait of a Mother and Child by Tsuguharu Foujita","description":"Tsuguharu Foujita\u003cbr\u003e 1886-1968 | Japanese-French \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003ePortrait of a Mother and Child\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Signed “Foujita \/ Paris” (lower left)\u003cbr\u003e Ink and watercolor on Japanese tissue \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e An artistic luminary well ahead of his time, Tsuguharu Foujita burst onto the international art scene in the early 20th century as one of the most important artists in early Japanese modernism. \u003cem\u003ePortrait of a Mother and Child\u003c\/em\u003e hails from an important period in the artist’s later career following his conversion to Christianity. Foujita’s integration of Japanese techniques with European subjects forms a distinctive visual language that garnered the artist great renown in his lifetime.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Born and trained as an artist in Japan, Foujita fulfilled a lifelong dream of traveling to Paris in 1913, where his brilliance gained newfound direction in the avant-garde circles of Montparnasse. Surrounded by prominent figures of the era such as Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse, Georges Braques and others, Foujita quickly achieved acclaim and accomplishment for his artworks. On the opening night of Foujita’s first solo exhibition in Paris in 1917, Picasso himself was so enamored by Foujita's watercolors that he acquired as many as he could physically hold. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Foujita positioned himself as a luminary of modernism by blending Japanese \u003cem\u003eukiyo-e\u003c\/em\u003e techniques with European subjects and mediums. This dual influence led Foujita to create his famed portraits of women, cats and perhaps most importantly, iconic renditions of the Virgin and Child. \u003cem\u003ePortrait of a Mother and Child\u003c\/em\u003e echoes the graceful figures painted by Renaissance masters Foujita viewed at the Louvre, while simultaneously drawing from the bold simplicity of his contemporaries, including Amedeo Modigliani. Foujita expertly renders the humanistic notion of maternal love in the Madonna’s expression and the languid stretch of her hands, evoking a protective cradle. The bold strokes of ink converge and contrast with the colorful and hazy watercolor hues of the mother and child’s clothing. The luminescence of their skin is achieved through Foujita’s signature pearly iridescent glaze, a highly secret blend of flaxseed oil, chalk and magnesium silicate that became a signature component of his oeuvre. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A lifelong Francophile, Tsuguharu Foujita seamlessly immersed himself in the vibrant artistic community of Paris in 1913, rubbing shoulders with modernist icons before his departure in 1933. During the Second World War, Foujita served as a war artist in Japan. After the war, Foujita and his wife became French citizens, and later in 1957, the artist became an officer of the esteemed Legion of Honor. Foujita’s subsequent conversion to Catholicism offers a crucial lens into his complex understanding of faith, identity and belonging, with works like \u003cem\u003ePortrait of a Mother and Child\u003c\/em\u003e forming cornerstones of his later oeuvre. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Foujita's works are held by prestigious institutions worldwide, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto. Notably, the National Museum of Art, Kyoto has hosted two significant retrospectives of Foujita's oeuvre in 2006 and 2018. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This artwork is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Tobi Appraisal Institute. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Circa 1957 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Paper: 12 1\/4” high x 9 1\/4” wide (31.12 cm x 23.5 cm)\u003cbr\u003e Frame: 20 1\/2” high x 17 1\/8” wide x 2 1\/4” deep (52.07 cm x 43.50 cm x 5.72 cm) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/rau-sfimages.s3.amazonaws.com\/dossier\/Dossier_31-7755.pdf\" target=\"new\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eView the Dossier\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This painting was exhibited at The European Fine Art Fair. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Provenance:\u003cbr\u003e Private collection, Tokyo\u003cbr\u003e M.S. Rau, New Orleans","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44050797428871,"sku":"31-7755","price":285000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/2471\/0466\/files\/31-7755_1_f8f09389-bacc-49f5-aea3-1f7742dbfb0c.png?v=1774966076"}],"url":"https:\/\/rauantiques.com\/collections\/french-religious-paintings.oembed","provider":"M.S. Rau","version":"1.0","type":"link"}