Ève au jardin d'Eden 1959

This 1959 lithograph, Ève au Jardin d’Eden (“Eve in the Garden of Eden”), reflects Tsugouharu Foujita’s distinctive fusion of delicate draftsmanship, symbolic imagery, and poetic restraint. Created during the mature phase of the artist’s career, the work revisits the biblical theme of Eden while infusing it with Foujita’s signature elegance and contemplative mood.

Unlike more dramatic interpretations of the Genesis story, Foujita presents Eve with calm introspection. The softly rendered nude figure, holding the symbolic apple, is surrounded by animals and lush vegetal motifs suggesting paradise — giraffe, birds, foliage, and other creatures coexist harmoniously. The imagery evokes innocence and unity with nature rather than impending fall or moral tension.

Foujita’s line work remains the central expressive element. His famously precise, almost calligraphic contour — influenced by both Japanese ink traditions and European modernist drawing — gives the figure clarity and refinement without heavy shading. The pale tinted ground enhances this lightness, creating a luminous atmosphere characteristic of his late lithographs.

The composition also reflects Foujita’s recurring fascination with femininity as a symbol of grace, purity, and timeless beauty. Here, Eve becomes less a religious figure than a poetic embodiment of nature, serenity, and mythic origin.

Today, Ève au Jardin d’Eden is appreciated as a graceful example of Foujita’s late graphic work — a synthesis of East and West, mythology and modern sensibility — showcasing the artist’s enduring ability to convey depth through subtle line, restrained colour, and quietly evocative symbolism.

Original Lithograph

Nude

On Japanese paper and signed in the plate

Good condition