Sabulum
Tapestry woven in the Saint-Cyr workshop.
With signed label, n°EA.
1973.
Jacques Brachet was an important protagonist of the « New Tapestry » movement ; woven by Pierre Daquin, exhibited by the « La Demeure » gallery in the 1970’s, his innovative and experimental approach to the medium, from the 1950’s onwards, was recognised by the Centre International d’études pédagogiques in Sèvres, by the scenography of “La Tapisserie en France, 1945 – 1985, la tradition vivante” at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, and by his inclusion in various promotional events right up to the present day.
The specific techniques of his tapestry designs (as opposed to painting) : innovative use of shape and texture, themes taken from the natural world etc. took shape in the 1970s; he was then close to Pierre Daquin, who wove a number of his tapestries. Although he is known for his marine subjects, Brachet’s inspiration also turns to the mineral world (Sabulum = sand in Latin), which gives a more figurative flavour to our cartoon, with a challenge : how to translate sand into wool?
Bibliography :
Exhibition catalogue Jacques Brachet, mémoires océanes, Angers, Musée Jean Lurçat et de la tapisserie contemporaine, 1996
