6'1

A member of the A.P.C.T. (Association des Peintres-Cartonniers de Tapisserie), Wogensky was one of many artists who devoted themselves to tapestry in the immediate post-war period, following in the footsteps of Lurçat. Initially influenced by Lurçat, Wogensky's work (159 cartoons according to the 1989 exhibition catalog) then evolved in the 1960s towards a lyrical abstraction that was not always fully embraced, from cosmic-astronomical themes to decomposed and moving bird forms, towards more refined and less dense cartoons. Although he always proclaimed himself a painter, the artist's reflection on tapestry is very accomplished: "Creating a wall cartoon... means thinking in terms of a space that no longer belongs to us, in terms of its dimensions and scale, and it also requires a broad gesture that transforms and accentuates our presence." Symptomatic of the heroic era of the late 1940s, which also saw the blossoming of the fledgling talents of Tourlière, Lagrange, Matégot, and others, all still young, inspired by Lurçat, and striving to distinguish themselves, but still remaining figurative, "Le Veilleur" affirms, in a lyrical and colorful style, its proximity to everyday life (note the detail of the striped sweater), as well as a strong symbolic connotation: a whistleblower in uncertain times. Bibliography: J. Cassou, M. Damain, R. Moutard-Uldry, La tapisserie française et les peintres cartonniers, Tel, 1957, ill. p.131 Exhibition catalog: Robert Wogensky, L'oeuvre tissé, Aubusson, Musée départemental de la tapisserie, 1989, ill. p. 15 Exhibition catalog: Robert Wogensky, Angers, Musée Jean Lurçat et de la Tapisserie Contemporaine, 1989. Exhibition catalog: Jean Lurçat, Compagnons de Route et Passants Considrables, Felletin, Church, 1992, ill. p. 46.