Les Quatre Mains
Cartoon design by Jean Lurçat (1892- 1966)
France, Aubusson tapestry, probably at Goubely but there is no workshop label
Woven in wool, cotton and silk (warp in cotton, weft in wool and silk)
Initial the cartoon designer in the right hand corner
Circa 1940-1945
Gérard Denizeau, the world specialist in the work of Jean Lurçat, wrote us these lines about this tapestry, after we submitted the photo. We thank him for his time and his knowledge that he had the generosity to kindly send us:
"I see there a juxtaposition of elements characteristic of the first Lurçat that a composition elaborately elaborated (suddenly, I prefer!). This peculiarity reminds me of the production of the early 40's (to which also refers the signature), and more precisely to the workshop Goubely. According to Janine Dassonval, who made the catalog of cartons in Saint-Céré, cardboard does not exist, nor does this title in the collection of bolducs. But it must be said that at the time, the bolduc was neither mandatory nor codified. In total, I find that without being a masterpiece, it is a very beautiful piece, which is more a historical piece, a piece of resistance as indicated by the text of the lower part.”
Jean Lurçat was born in 1892 in Bruyère and died in 1966 in Saint Paul de Vence. Jean Lurçat started studying medicine but quickly abandoned this path. He meets Jean proved in Nancy, and then begins their collaboration. In 1912, he moves to Paris with his brother André (architect) and takes courses at the Colarossi Academy. There he met the great names of 20th century painting such as Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne and Auguste Renoir. Jean Lurçat began his textile adventure with the small stitch before concentrating on tapestry.
Jean Lurçat's woven work is masterful. The artist is internationally known and his name is closely associated with the revival of French tapestry in the post-war years. He is the most important painter and cartoonist of the 20th century. In 1947, Lurçat became President of the Association of Tapestry Cardboard Painters. The A.P.C.T. groups together the artists who participated most effectively in the Renaissance of the Tapestry, that is to say, who understood the absolute necessity not only to re-adopt the primary language of this essentially mural art, but also to proceed at the same time with the reorganisation of the industry on which it depends. "(Text of presentation of the A.P.C.T.)