Aubusson tapestry 1941

This tapestry was created by Raoul Dufy, woven in the Aubusson workshops of France. The design is translated into tightly interlocked weft and warp threads to create this image of rural abundance. While Dufy was known as a painter, he also designed textiles, and that experience shows here. Dufy uses the technique of tapestry to flatten out the pictorial space of a landscape, and to emphasize the intense and often unnaturalistic color. Notice how he reduces the scene to a series of simplified shapes, such as the green and blue curtain, but varies the direction of the weave to create textural detail. This is not just an image of a rural scene but a celebration of skilled labor. While Dufy provided the design, the making was over to a workshop, where weavers were often divided by specialized roles in the division of labor. Dufy's aesthetic sensibility combined with traditional expertise elevates craft into fine art, underscoring the value of both design and execution in our understanding of art history.