Wash painting lies at the heart of the aesthetic of Françoise Pétrovitch’s work for the Tribute to George Sand project. This pictorial technique consists of tinting a drawing through light, transparent applications of India ink, sepia, bistre, or water-diluted colors, applied in flat washes that can be layered. One of the major challenges of the project is the ability to translate these washes into a woven interpretation.

Another distinctive feature of the project is the self-supporting nature of the future tapestry. The company Corégie proposed the creation of a modular structure that allows the tapestry to be displayed in different orientations. The structure is designed to create curves and give the tapestry one or several rounded forms, enabling it to adapt to the various spaces in which it will be exhibited.

Thanks to this structure, Françoise Pétrovitch highlights certain sections of the reverse side of the work, while others are concealed by fabric. The format of the tapestry presents a ribbon-like representation of George Sand’s estate in Nohant-Vic and its surrounding vegetation, as well as references to the imaginary landscapes found in George Sand’s dendrites. The wet appearance of the model and the water used to diffuse the pigment evoke the Romantic era and the novelist’s works describing Nohant covered in the dew laid down by the dawn.

Female figures are also central to this project dedicated to the author. It features the gallery of characters so characteristic of Françoise Pétrovitch’s work: reclining women, cascading hair, the smoker, and others. George Sand’s contemporary relevance is explicitly conveyed through figures depicted wearing modern clothing such as leggings, tank tops, and similar garments.