Nymphs and hunters
Aubusson tapestry woven by the Pinton workshop for the Compagnie des Arts Français.
1941.
André Planson's place in the history of tapestry is linked to the role Jacques Adnet envisioned for it within the framework of the synthesis of the arts advocated by the Compagnie des Arts Français, of which he was director. As early as 1941, Adnet commissioned several painters (Brianchon, Vera, and Planson) to create tapestry cartoons, in conjunction with furniture and interior architecture: “We wanted to demonstrate that contemporary tapestry finds its place within a whole and can effectively contribute to the atmosphere of a room” (L. Chéronnet, Jacques Adnet, Art et Industrie, 1948). Throughout the 1940s, the Compagnie des Arts Français organized tapestry exhibitions in its premises. These decorative aspirations, important for the revival of tapestry, nevertheless remained far removed from the concerns of Lurçat and his followers.
The Company's charming and cheerful style (reminiscent of the contemporary works of Lurçat or Gromaire) is fully evident in this 1941 cartoon, which reinterprets traditional tapestry themes, somewhere between hunting scenes and pastoral pleasures, in a desire to revive grand decorative taste. While certain technical innovations from Lurçat's school are already incorporated (counted tones, large stitches, etc.), it is clear that this decorative approach is still influenced by pictorial technique (use of perspective, gradations in flesh tones, etc.)
