Phoebus et les ailes

Phoebus et les Ailes is a monumental tapestry by Jean Lurçat, woven in 1963 at the Atelier Pinton in Aubusson, based on a 1962 design. Square in format and commanding in scale, the work reads almost as a mural—structured to hold space with clarity and presence.

At the center is a rare, fully personified sun. Unlike the more abstract solar forms seen elsewhere in Lurçat’s work, this figure carries a human face, drawing directly from classical mythology. The presence of Phoebus introduces a more explicit symbolic anchor, giving the composition a sense of authority and stillness despite its surrounding movement.

The background shifts dramatically from his darker compositions. Here, a saturated yellow field fills the entire surface, dissolving the distinction between figure and ground. The tapestry doesn’t simply depict light—it becomes it. This choice gives the work an immediate visual impact, allowing the surrounding forms to radiate outward with clarity.

Around the central figure, large winged forms—read as butterflies—expand across the surface. Their scale and repetition create a sense of outward movement, as if energy is being released from the core. Interspersed star-like elements introduce a second layer, balancing the composition between motion and structure.

A subtle grounding element appears at the base, where a narrow band of darker tones anchors the otherwise luminous field. It’s minimal, but enough to stabilize the composition without interrupting its overall unity.

Phoebus et les Ailes stands as one of Lurçat’s most direct and resolved works. Clear in structure, bold in color, and fully contained, it reflects a moment where his symbolic language becomes both simplified and intensified.

Reference: in the catalog of the exhibition “Jean Lurçat – Ten Years After” at the Museum of Modern Art of the city of Paris in 1976, appears the original tapestry PHÉBUS ET LES AILES woven at Tabard in 1962.