“Les Quartre Saisons”, Mid Century Modernist Jean Lucrat Wool Tapestry

Beautiful wool tapestry, titled Les Quatre Saisons (The Four Seasons), is a striking mid-century work by French artist Jean Lurçat, created circa the 1950s. Lurçat, who played a key role in reviving the French tapestry tradition after World War II, infused his work with bold color harmonies, symbolic imagery, and a rhythmic sense of movement that bridges medieval allegory with modern abstraction. The composition depicts four elegantly stylized female figures, each embodying a different season. The central figures, robed in warm reds, oranges, and golds, radiate a fiery intensity suggestive of summer and autumn, while the flanking figures in cooler greens and blues evoke spring and winter. Behind them, a background of abstracted flora, swirling sun motifs, and tree-like forms reinforces the theme of cyclical growth, decay, and renewal. The jagged border of deep blue and black frames the figures like a mosaic, unifying the four archetypes within the eternal rhythm of the seasons. Wonderful!