Ariadne (Ariane)

In 1951, Mario Prassinos met Jean Lurçat and created his first tapestries at the Atelier Suzanne Goubely in Aubusson, in central France. That same year, he purchased a house in Eygalières and found inspiration in the landscape of the Alpilles. His first tapestry cartoons had subjects from nature, such as birds and trees (“Airplane Birds,” “Black Cypress,” “Red Cypress”). He later adopted a more complex abstract style, and his themes shifted to ancient Greek and Roman mythology (“Little Circe,” “Proserpina,” “Ariadne,” “Theseus”), Shakespeare’s plays (“Romeo and Juliet,” “Caliban,” “Troilus and Cressida,” “Othello”), and opera. For instance, a tapestry from 1972 is titled “The Combat of Tancredi and Clorinda,” after the composition by Claudio Monteverdi, which also inspired the painter, Kurt Seligmann. Prassinos’ other themes include abstract portraiture, flames, lilies, wildflowers (“Peony”), ‘marine suns,’ and pieces which evoked aesthetic traditions linked to his heritage (“Turquerie”).

“Ariadne” was created during the artist’s mature period. Here, too, we find his characteristic spiral forms, combined with a distinct palette—black, red, brown, beige, and yellow—which he also used in other tapestries.