Robert WOGENSKY

Member of the A.P.C.T. (Association des Peintres-Cartonniers de Tapisserie), Wogensky was one of the many artists who devoted themselves to tapestry following Lurçat, in the immediate post-war period. First influenced by him, Wogensky’s work (159 cartoons after the 1989 exhibition catalogue) then developed in the 1960s toward a lyrical abstraction, not always fully embraced: from cosmic-astronomical themes to decomposed and moving bird forms, toward cartoons that were more refined and less dense. Although he always proclaimed himself a painter, the artist’s reflection on tapestry was highly developed: “Realize a wall cartoon…. it means thinking in relation to a space that no longer belongs to us, because of its dimensions, its scale; it is also the requirement of a broad gesture that transforms and heightens our presence.”

Symptomatic of the heroic spirit of the late 1940s, which also saw the budding talents of Tourlière, Lagrange, Matégot,… flourish—still very young at the time—while being inspired by Lurçat and striving to distinguish themselves from him, yet remaining figurative; “the watchman” asserts, in a lyrical and colorful style, its closeness to everyday life (let us note the detail of the striped sweater), alongside a strong symbolic connotation: a whistleblower in uncertain times.

Bibliography:
J. Cassou, M. Damain, R. Moutard-Uldry, French tapestry and painter-cartoonists, Tel, 1957, ill. p.131
Cat. Expo. Robert Wogensky, l’oeuvre tissé, Aubusson, Musée départemental de la tapisserie, 1989, ill. p .15
Cat. Expo. Robert Wogensky, Angers, Musée Jean Lurçat et de la Tapisserie Contemporaine, 1989
Cat. Expo. Jean Lurçat, companions in the journey and formidable passers-by, Felletin, Eglise, 1992, ill. p.46