Nymphs and Hunters
An Aubusson tapestry woven by the Pinton workshop for the Compagnie des Arts Français. 1941.
André Plançon’s place in the history of tapestry was linked to the role Jacques Adnet wished to assign him within the synthesis of the arts promoted by the Compagnie des Arts Français, of which he was director. Dès 1941, Adnet sought out several painters (Brianchon, Vera,…. and Plançon) to produce tapestry cartoons, in connection with the furnishings and interior architecture: “we wanted to show that contemporary tapestry finds its place within a setting and can effectively help to create 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 inclinations, important for the renewal of Tapisserie, nevertheless remained far from the concerns of Lurçat and his followers. The amiable and joyful style (one might think of the contemporary works of Lurçat or Gromaire) of the Compagnie appears fully in this 1941 cartoon, which updates traditional tapestry themes, halfway between a hunting scene and rural pleasures, with a desire to renew the grand decorative taste. While certain technical innovations from the Lurçat school were already being assimilated (counted tones, large point,…), it can be seen that this decorative intent was still influenced by pictorial technique (use of perspective, gradations in flesh tones,…).
