AN EXCITING DISCOVERY
I don’t know if it happens to you but sometimes l am convinced an artist is a painter and suddenly discover that he was working more in in another media. I associated Jean Lurçat (1892-1966) with the cubist period but not neceassirly a cubist...
and in actual fact knew virtually nothing of his work. Walking home down the Avenue to Gobelins recently, this was perhaps the second if not third time I had seen a very enticing communication like a huge sun called « Au Seuil Bruit du Soleil » A rough translation could be « On the Threshold of the Sound of the Sun » . In French it intrigued me. What was Jean Lurçat doing at the Gobelins? I would soon found out.
He was born in Bruyères, Vosges. After his secondary education at Épinal, he enrolled at La Faculté des sciences de Nancy and studied medicine.
That was the first shock. His study of medicine.
In 1912, Jean Lurçat went to live in Paris with his brother André, an architect. He enrolled at the Académie Colarossi, then at the workshop of the engraver, Bernard Naudin. He met painters such as Matisse, Cézanne, Renoir …Later he became an apprentice of the painter Jean-Paul Lafitte with whom he had an exhibition at La faculté des sciences de Marseille. His first journey to Italy was interrupted in August by the declaration of war.
Back in France, Lurçat joined the infantry, but was evacuated on the 15 November after falling ill. During his recovery to health, in 1915, he practised painting and lithography. In July, 1916, he returned to the front, but was evacuated once again due to injury. In September, his art was put on exhibition in Zürich.
So just 24 years old.
A year later, 1917, Jean Lurçat made his first tapestries: Then he started traveling extensively and of course meeting many artists and some working in tapestry and decoration (furniture…)
The number of trips he did all over the world, is mind boggling. Participating with other artists and creating curtains or decor for the theatre. In 1937 he made his first tapestry at the GOBLINS Manufacture and from then on worked closely with famous ateliers such as Aubusson…and he still went on travelling. When he was 59 he made his first piece of ceramic!
Would you believe that in 1956 he actually had an exhibition in Australia…and he continues to travel until he died in 1966. 74. There are centres, schools, museums, workshop centres all named after him. I knew nothing about this and here is just a little bit more of what I discovered.
For someone who is not overly keen on tapistry, this time around I was litterally stunned and came out raving. This is just a small selection of what I saw. The people who I spoke to about his work could not believe that I did not know he was a tapestry maker and didn't understand why I was so excited about my discovery....And I still am!
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| Boats |
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| The Cock |
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| Square |
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| Si Srir Laroussi 1925 |
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| Tante Annie - 1920 |
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| Table with glasses - 1923 |
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| Still Life with musical instruments 1922 |
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| Ouled Naïl - 1925 |
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| Snake charmer - 1926 |
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| Strong Bather - 1931 |
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| Bathers at the sea 1932 |
He was born in Bruyères, Vosges. After his secondary education at Épinal, he enrolled at La Faculté des sciences de Nancy and studied medicine.
That was the first shock. His study of medicine.
In 1912, Jean Lurçat went to live in Paris with his brother André, an architect. He enrolled at the Académie Colarossi, then at the workshop of the engraver, Bernard Naudin. He met painters such as Matisse, Cézanne, Renoir …Later he became an apprentice of the painter Jean-Paul Lafitte with whom he had an exhibition at La faculté des sciences de Marseille. His first journey to Italy was interrupted in August by the declaration of war.
Back in France, Lurçat joined the infantry, but was evacuated on the 15 November after falling ill. During his recovery to health, in 1915, he practised painting and lithography. In July, 1916, he returned to the front, but was evacuated once again due to injury. In September, his art was put on exhibition in Zürich.
So just 24 years old.
A year later, 1917, Jean Lurçat made his first tapestries: Then he started traveling extensively and of course meeting many artists and some working in tapestry and decoration (furniture…)
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| A gallery I walked into |
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| Carpet - 1932 |
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| Fireplace screen - 1932 |
The number of trips he did all over the world, is mind boggling. Participating with other artists and creating curtains or decor for the theatre. In 1937 he made his first tapestry at the GOBLINS Manufacture and from then on worked closely with famous ateliers such as Aubusson…and he still went on travelling. When he was 59 he made his first piece of ceramic!
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| Ceramic - Fish and leaves on black background - 1954 |
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| Ceramic -Fish Plate - 1952 |
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| Large plate - 1962 |
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| The Cermaic Gallery |
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| Hollow dish - 1952 |
Would you believe that in 1956 he actually had an exhibition in Australia…and he continues to travel until he died in 1966. 74. There are centres, schools, museums, workshop centres all named after him. I knew nothing about this and here is just a little bit more of what I discovered.
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| Trafalgar (painting) 1930 |
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| White Rocks (painting) 1929 |
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| Masts (painting) 1931 |
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| Landscape - 1928 |
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| Masts - 1931 |
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| Painting or Saturne - 1936 |
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| Part of the Four Seasons - tapestry - Summer - 1939 (tapestry) |
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| Winter - 1940 (tapestty) |
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| Birth of Lansquenet (tapestry) 1947 |
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| Ceiling of during the war |
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| During the war |
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| Liberty 1943 (Tapestry) |
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| Earth - 1941 (Tpestry) |
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| Esope - 1947 (Tapestry) |
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| The Sky - 1954-55 (Tapestry) |
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| Tapestry for Beaube |
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| His world of animals |
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| A small fear (tapestry) 1952-53 |
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| A small bull of the Night (tapestry) 1947 |
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| A small "dead" - 1949 (tapesrtry) |
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| Part of a tapestry |
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| Tzara Cockerel - 1943 (Tapestry) |
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| Animal Tapestry |
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| Peacock of the Future - 1984 |
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| Part of a tapestry |
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| Page in a book "Beasts" |
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| Page in a book "Beasts" |
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| Inspired in Bresil - 1957 |
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| Paris - 1958-1960 (Taprestry) |
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| Inspired from one of his many trips |
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| Part of Paris |
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| Series of 12 plates - 1956 |
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| Large hollow plate - 1962 |
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| Plate |
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| Tapestry |
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| Fish Series |
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| Two Fisherman - 1938 (Painting) |
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| Three pilgrims - 1936 (Painting) |
For someone who is not overly keen on tapistry, this time around I was litterally stunned and came out raving. This is just a small selection of what I saw. The people who I spoke to about his work could not believe that I did not know he was a tapestry maker and didn't understand why I was so excited about my discovery....And I still am!
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