Ornaments
Tapestry of Aubusson woven by the Atelier Tabard. With its bolduc Signed by the artist, no. 4. 1963. Lurçat urged Saint-Saëns, first as a fresco painter, starting in 1940. And, during the war, he produced his first allegorical masterpieces—tapestries of indignation, combat, and resistance: “Mad VÃ?rges,” “Theseus and the Minotaur.” At the end of the war, he naturally joined Lurçat, sharing his convictions (about the Numbered Cartoon and the counted tones, about the specific writing the tapestry requires, …) within the A.P.C.T. (Association des Peintres-cartonniers de Tapisserie). His universe, where the human figure—stretched, elongated—takes up a considerable place (compared in particular to the role it plays in the work of his fellow artists Lurçat, or Picart le Doux), revolves around traditional themes: the woman, the Commedia dell’arte, the Greek myths, … sublimated by the brilliance of the color palette and the simplification of the layout. He would later evolve, in the 1960s, toward cartoons that were more lyrical, almost abstract, in which cosmic elements and forces dominate. This cartoon fits precisely into that vein. Let us cite the 1987 catalogue (p. 37): “Ornaments, purely decorative tapestry, is akin to Daedalus, Biologie (held by the CNRS), Bel Canto, thanks to its spacious, flexible, lyrical style, very close to the studies in paintbrush work in which Saint-Saëns indulged in the joy of freely applied color.” This cartoon was woven in 5 copies. Bibliography: Cat. Expo. Tapisseries contemporaines haute lisse-basse lisse, 1945-1979, Paris, Mairie annexe du XIXe arrondissement, 1979 (reproduced p. 29) Cat. Expo. Saint-Saëns, oeuvre tissé, Aubusson, Musée départemental de la Tapisserie, 1987 (tapestry having appeared in the exhibition, but not reproduced in the catalogue) Cat. Expo. Marc Saint-Saëns, tapisseries, 1935-1979, Angers, Musée Jean Lurçat et de la Tapisserie Contemporaine, 1997-1998 (reproduced p. 22) Cat. Expo. Marc Saint-Saëns, galerie Moulins, PAD 2010 (reproduced p. 16)
