WEAVER BIRDS tapestrys
Anne Bachelier is a master of Fantasy and Surrealism using her Flemish paint handling line and detail to create highly imaginative, metaphysical dream like fantasies evoking feelings simultaneously powerful, peaceful and protective. In her latest series she explores the zodiac while her Goyaesque use of light and shadow further communicates the ethereal, whimsical gestures of her otherworldly emissaries from some spiritual realm far beyond the grasp of this earthly plane.
Anne is widely accepted as a master of Surrealism, line and detail. She challenges the viewer to become a part of the story of each painting.
Born in Louvigné du Désert in 1949, Anne attended the School of Fine Arts in La Seyne-sur-Mer, specifically the engraving workshop. From 1966 to 1969, she then transitioned into practicing the technique of painting on silk. Anne initially created utilitarian objects scarves, cushions, etc. and for several years, silk painting allowed her to work with Dassault Aviation on the decoration of Falcon business jets.
In 1989, Anne abandoned silk painting to return to the more traditional practice of oil painting, she very quickly turned to what is closest to her heart, the themes that are still present in her paintings today.
Bacheliers mastery of art history, captivates her audience with compelling highly imaginative images that are distinct, unique, inventive and immediately recognizable. Her metaphysical, dream-like fantasies evoke feelings simultaneously powerful, peaceful, and protective. This unique “other” world, untouched by time or place, reminds the viewer of the eternal dance of transformation and regeneration.
In Bachelier’s modern synthesis of the Rococo and the Surreal, her eclectic cast of characters enact their drolleries in numinous, heavenly expanses, where ethereal and material elements appear infinitely interchangeable. The sense of a world in which earthly and otherworldly qualities are constantly shifting and intermingling is enhanced by Bachelier’s almost Flemish paint handling, which glides easily on oil pigment’s natural viscosity between glisteningly transparent glazes and juicy, succulent impastoes. The drama of her pictures is further heightened by her Goyaesque way with light and shadow. Communicating with symbolic gestures and enigmatic chimerical creatures, Bachelier’s paintings suggest emissaries from some spiritual realm far beyond the scope and grasp of this earthly plane.
The art of Anne Bachelier is exhibited in museums and private collections throughout Europe and North America. She is on permanent exhibition in New York City, New Orleans, and at the Chateau Belcastel in France..
Anne Bachelier (1949) was born in Louvigne du Desert, France, and received her degree from the Ecole des Beaux Arts, La Seyne-Sur-Mer between 1966 and 1970. She currently lives and works near Grenoble, France.
“Lives woven into tapestries, Tapestries woven into Lives”
The Weaverbirds are renowned for their meticulous attention to detail,
quality and a sense of family. During nest building, the male weaverbird is
responsible for a perfect outcome – anything sub-standard or with a fibre
out of place is promptly rejected by the female. A family matter.
Each weaver “Weaverbird” is a symbol of the above. Her life is
dedicated to her family, her pride in her artistry (work) and above all....herself.
Zandile Mdlungu, Weaving Coordinator, Logistics, Human Resources
Nazeema Fredericks, Teacher, Masterweaver & “Mother Superior”
artists
“THE WEAVER BIRDS”
Nozinkele Faniswa Mahote - The Hare and The Heyena
Nthabeleng Annacletta Modutsane - The Calabash Children, Why the Sun and Moon Live in the Sky
Novuyisele Dlubom - The Flying Lion
Nomtheliso Sylvia Ngxoni - The Little Red Tortoise is the bravest of them all
Nontlahla Macothosa - The Spider and the Lion
Nokwake Nomvazi Dyani - The Bird of Life, Prelude to Civilisation
Noluvuyo Mki - The Children who Lived in a Tree House
Art
Click to To Enlarge Image
The Bird of Life
Ethiopia (Kafa)
58” x 42”
Woven Cotton
Artist, Dyani
This entirely fabricated story, written to fit the striking tapestry, has as its background a folktale from the Kafa Zone of Ethiopia.
The Calabash Children ( Sinyoni)
Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (Chaga)
45” x 67”
Woven Cotton
Artist, Modutsane
Retold from a folktale of the Chaga (Chagga) people who live on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, which to them is a sacred mountain.
The Children who Lived in a Treehouse (Vuyo)
Kenya (Wakamba)
67” x 45”
Woven Cotton
Artist, Noluvuyo Miki
This is based on a folktale of the Wakamba people of eastern Kenya. They are known today for their dancing and music, but this story comes from much earlier times.
The Flying Lion
Etosha, Namibia
58” x 44”
Woven Cotton
Artist, Dlubom
The Hare and the Hyena
Malawi (Bantu)
69” x 45”
Woven Cotton
Artist, Faniswa Mahote
The Little Red Tortoise is the Bravest of the All (Nokwaka)
Southern Karoo, South Africa
56” x 39”
Woven Cotton
Artist, Ngxoni
The Spider and the Lion (Tembi)
Ashanti, Ghana
45” x 57”
Woven Cotton
Artist, Macothosa
Based on a tale in the tradition of Anansi
the spider, the story-telling trickster of
the Ashanti people of Ghana.
Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky (Hindi)
Eastern Nigeria (Ibibio)
62” x 45”
Woven Cotton
Artist, Modutsane
A simple creation-style story which features in African folklore from many regions. This retelling is based on a version from the Ibibio people in south-east Nigeria. Only an oral tradition with experience of floods, such as those in the River Niger basin, could have created such a story.
Prelude to Civilisation
All of Africa
Woven Cotton
Artist, Dyani
This story has no cultural source because it
comes from the tapestry itself – created by an
African weaver who put into its woven form the
concept of Africa living together in peace.
