Alphonse Mucha was a Czech Art
Nouveau painter, designer, poster creator and decorative artist mostly known
for his colourful and subtle illustrations and prints of women surrounded by
flowers. Variety of his prints (especially fine art) can be found on plates,
mugs, cutlery and t-shirts. Nevertheless, there is so much more to his art and
career (in the context of eye-catching projects) than few commonly known
drawings. This unbelievably prolific artist from an early age was fascinated
with drawing and illustration, and due to fortunate coincidence of events he
had a chance to develop his skill in Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and Paris.
Of course, he started working as
a designer and theatrical printer, but it was year 1894 that made him one of
the most popular artists of secession. One can say that he got really lucky.
Few days before the end of the year an order was placed for the printing house
in which he worked - a poster for theatrical art. And boy, it was big. The
actress who commissioned the project was Sarah Bernhardt herself - eccentric
but sought-after star of those years. Mucha decided to create something
completely out of the trends. The colours were washy, the poster itself was
extremely elongated and the whole composition was out of fashion. Shockingly,
Sarah Bernhard was delighted with his work, and from that day forward, she
became one of his main sources of income and commissions. When she has opened
her Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt, Mucha was responsible not only for all the
posters, but also for the design of the interiors and decorations.
Another interesting project
created by Alphonse Mucha was jewellery and the interior for popular jeweller –
George’s Fouquet. Illustrative aspect and richness of the designed objects as
well as the interior of the shop were highly criticized as being too theatrical
and vulgar, thus the cooperation of these two didn’t last. Nevertheless, there
was one huge fan of their projects that bought everything that Mucha has
created. Yep, you guessed it right. Sarah Bernhard not only bought existing
projects, but also requested creating jewellery seen on the posters designed by
Mucha.
Though he spent most of his life
abroad, Alphonse Mucha is also known for his patriotic, national projects. In
1910 he started his 18-year project “The Slav Epic” in which he portrayed the mythology and history of Czechs and other Slavic
lineage on 20 6x8m canvas.
He died in 1939, just before the
outbreak of the Second World War, distraught and sick at heart, leaving his new
triptych unfinished. To this day his subtle and delicate works can be seen not
only on t-shirts, mugs, postcards or pens but also in places, where the variety
of his talents can be seen - in Mucha Museum (https://www.mucha.cz/en/), St
Vithus Cathedral or National Gallery in Prague. Mucha, in my opinion, was one
of the most many-sided artists from the Art Noveau period, considered even to
be the creator of it. As a fertile artist, he considered himself to be a
painter and a creator of patriotic arts, rather than pioneer of his times and
hated people calling him that. Undeniably, he will forever be remembered for
his specific color schemes, delicacy in portraying his imagination and hair,
which he drew in specific, macaroni-like style.
Sources:
Alfons Mucha i jego świat - R. Ormiston
Alfons Mucha - Victor Arwas, Anna Dvořák, Jan Mlčoch, Petr Wittlich
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfons_Mucha
Questions:
1. What other artists from the Art
Nouveau epoque can you recall?
2. What other paintings or drawings
created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
Comments
2. I do not know the work of this artist. I'm not interested in art. However, in my opinion these paintings are too worn out, without vivid colors.
Unfortunately none of them. I do not have an artistic spirtit at all and I am simply not interested in this field of civilizations. One may call me an ignorant but frankly speaking I just do not take pleasure in it.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
As i mentioned above, I am not really an art person and I do not know the answer to this question either.
Another artist from the Art Nouveau era that I remember is Stanisław Wyspiański. He is best known as the author of the drama "The Wedding" - obligatory reading in high school. His main directions of creativity were portraits and landscapes.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
I do not know any of the paintings created by this author. Nevertheless, I've seen paintings inspired by his women portraits in my friend's apartment.
2. Unfortunately, I do not know, maybe I have some pictures coded in my head, but now I can't remember their titles. I'm not very much an art person. However, I like to watch different art works.
2. I know Mucha from The Season panel. I like it very much but I prefer Klimt paintings. Mucha images are painted in too pastel shades for me.
2. I really wish I could answer this question, but it’s beyond my reach. I must say that I respect that you’ve chosen this topic, even though it was probably predictable that the feedback won’t be very rich. It is great that you have such interests, it is very mature and admirable which cannot be said about most of us.
2. As I mentioned above, art has never interested me, so I don't know any other works of this artist. If I were to judge him now, I think his paintings are okay, although the colors are faded. I prefer brighter and more vivid, contrasting colors and backgrounds.
2. When I look at these paintings you've posted I feel as if I've alreadys een them somewhere, but I definitely wouldn't be able to associate them with the author and its other pieces. However, I really like them as well as floral motives and I think I could hang one of them on my wall.
I am not intrested so much in a history of paintings and there dates so I cannot recall anyone. I recognize the artists and works but from which nouveau it was created I do not know. Personally I am more intrested in music history and I am better and recalling music arts from certains epoques.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
First time I heard about this author and I never saw his drawings which is a shame as they are really good. Well that's the point of this conversation course to explore and expand your horizons of knowledge :)
2. Only creations of this author that I know about, are the ones I just read about. To be honest, after reading title I was a bit sceptical, especially since I don't enjoy art, but it was actually interesting. Out of those posted, first 4 and last 4 look really good. I won't be a fan of his jewellery and posters though.
After reading your presentation I have searched the Internet and refreshed my knowledge in this area. I read about some artists that I had heard about before, but I didn’t know in which style they were creating. For example, the famous Antoni Gaudí in Spanish architecture and the Russian artist Alexandre Benois.
2. What other paintings or designs created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
I first read about Alphonse Mucha in this presentation so I have seen just his paintings which are above. I like these elegant and graceful lines, flower stalks and brightly colored.
I don't really know any painters/illustrators from that time period, but I enjoy art noveau architecture. It's quite quirky and sometimes out of place, but it's something different, and that's intersting.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
I haven't heard about mr. Mucha, his artworks are not exactly my style, I prefer abstract art, but they're nevertheless enjoyable, kind of whimsical.
I'm sure all the paintings are pretty and beautiful.I'm sure all the paintings are pretty and beautiful. I really don't know what to write about it. I don't want to confuse it.
Personally speaking I do not like modern art paintings and do not find it attractive, i would say it is inetresting and creative, however not to my taste, excuse me if I hurt anyone`s feelings by writing that, however this is my subjective opinion and I do not try to impose it.
I don`t know any other paintings of this artist except for those presented by you here. I find these drawings colorful, expressive, his works are unique and distinctive from those known art works we all know.
1. Other artist from this epoque which I know is Gustav Klimt and I love his work. I've seen his painting "The Kiss" in real life and it blew my mind. Another artist I know from that epoque is Stanisław Wyspiański, which is one of the most famous Polish artists. These are the two biggest names that come to my mind when talking about Art Nouveau.
2. Sadly, I never heard about this artist before reading your article. But I really dig his style and I will research him more for sure. I really like the way he draws women. There is just always something mysterious about them...
Gaudi, Antonio Gaudi, thanks to Dan Brown's book "Beginning" we all had contact with representatives of "secession". In my opinion, he is the best representative of this era. Others are Chełmoński, Mączyński or Horta. If someone thinks that they do not know the representatives of this era, cheat.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
You presented his greatest works, so it's hard if you don't study his life to find others. The creations are cool, so it's hard to criticize the master. I really like his signature!
2. I don't know his paintings or drawings but I like the posters for interior design mentioned in your post. They are colorful and I like characters drawn like that.
If I have to mention any Art Nouveau representatuves I would simply say Antonio Gaudi - famous Spanish architect. If you visit Barcelona you can admire his outstanding projects. Another would be Gustav Klimt, Austrian painter. I think everyone saw 'The Kiss' by Klimt, which is used as a graphic design on many products. Another outstanding art nouveau painter was Stanislaw Wyspianski, a Polish artist.
2. 'Madonna of the Lilies'is worth checking up, it is very different from Mucha's most famous works. There are also many other drawings such as 'Zodiac' for example. I think Mucha's works were ahead of his time and they are still mesmerizing. I think his drawings and design is still impressive and aesthetically pleasing even for people who are not interested in art.
Honestly i dont know any artists from this epoque. I tried to find something more in google but i didnt heard about that artists before.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
Unfortunately i am not interesting about art so much and i dont know other paintings created by this author. In my opinion this which you presented are quite interesting but this is all what i can say in this topic.
2. I would describe the images presented in the presentation with two words: "light" and "spring". Unfortunately, I do not know any other paintings by Alphonse Mucha about which I could comment.
Sadly, I am not into history of arts. I am more of an admirer.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
This is the first time I have heard of this author, so I cannot name more of his works.
Also, I cannot help this new trend for pastel colours. It just feels like a painting was left under high noon sun rays, for a couple of weeks. Personally I enjoy vivid colours a lot more.
2. I have a feeling that during all this time I probably met his work on internet, because his style felt very familiar. But with all due respect to the author of this presentation, his works lack expression. Yes they are beautiful, but I can't see in them neither any negligent strokes neither high precision and tender elements.
2. This is the first time I have seen his art, so i don't know any other paintings made by him. Although seeing paintings in the article i can say that i don't like the way the colors are washy.
2. Well, I do not know their names, but I think I have seen most of them. Few in Mucha's museum in Prague and few in Paris. Extraordinary artist.
2. Wisła pod Krakowem. It is simplistic but very soul touching if you spend enough of time looking on it.
2 / For example, works performed on the theme of Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”, which in the background behind the central figure of Hamlet is visible to the ghost of his murdered father, wandering along the wall of Elsinore. The drowned Ophelia lies in flowers at the feet of Hamlet.
2. I really like Slav Epic by Mucha. For me, this cycle is lighting with some magical, mysterious energy and it is also a performance of the artist's excellent technique made on large canvases.
I think that Gustav Klimt was also very famous for his work. His painting called Kiss is very famous and was sold in 2006 for stunning 135 million dollars.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
I don’t really know much of his work apart from the most ones that you mentioned in your text. What I can say though is what was the model of the ideal woman presented by Mucha at that time and how has it changed throughout all these years. It can be alarming when young women compare themselves with other that are presented globally and that can lead to huge problems.
You caught me off guard with this question :) Probably none even if I let myself to think for a while. I don't have a great memory for names and remembering even significant ones is a big effort for me. So with all respect, but as art is not my main field of interest, I just can't recall anyone :( Maybe I do know artists and their art but I'm unaware it's Art Nouveau
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
I've googled it, crawled through images section of search result but nothing seemed familiar to me. I never had much artistic eduction in my school and I realise now it's something I need to catch up on
2. Unfortunately, I barely do recognize Alfonso Mucha, but (after checking out) I’m not really into his concept of beauty expression.
I'm not good at art history, but I remember a polish artist called Stanisław Wyspiański. He usually is famous for his dry pastel paintings.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
I really like Mucha's painting style, so I know a lot, e.g. Four Seasons series or The Moon. They are breathtakingly tender and have something magical inside. I wish I could paint like him.
Unfortunately I’m not really interested in art nor art history, that’s why I don’t recall any other artists from the Art Noveau epoque.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
As I have mentioned above, I’m not really an artist fan. I don’t know any other paintings by this artist. I really like this paining style though.
1. Unfortunately, but I don't know much about art. It is also hard for me to say from what era this painting comes from.
2. I'm sorry I don't know any. My knowledge about art is based only on lessons in high school and the National Museum.
2. I wasn't intrested in this kind of art, even though I find these painting really nice. This style feels so femine and mesmerazing. Maybe some day I will educate myself about this artist more.
Unfortunately I am not able to recall any other from this epoque. I am not interested in art that much. On the other hand I like a lot to watch the paintings.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
To be honest again I do not know any others, what is more I dont like his art. I think it is great but just not for me. I prefer rather some modern stuff.
2. As I mentioned, painting is not my strong point. I don't know the work of this artist. I only know that he painted women's graphics in the style of belle époque - such idealized.
I'm not into art and propably i cant recall any artist. But this short article was very interesting and maybe i will read more about it in the future :)
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
As i said i'm not into art and i didn't even heard about Alphonso Mucha before i guess. But i can said that i like those paintings from the article.
Stanisław Wyspiański is a lead Polish artist from this epoque.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
Unfortunately I don't know other paintings of Mucha. They just remind me of artworks of Klimt, which are more recognizable for me.
I've heard that Mucha's atelier was very characteristic and extraordinary.
I am not an art student, unfortunately, but I have some ideas about art. Now, if you categorize artists by the genre in which they represent themselves, it would be more difficult for me to navigate. But here I see in the comments, Yubin mentioned Gustav Klimt, I am very familiar with his work. Therefore, I can emphasize it. I can also mention Edward Munch. I can’t say that I’m his fan, but he is very popular. Also in the comments I saw Antonio Gaudi. In general, the whole of Barcelona in this case is continuous Art Nouveau. Perhaps this makes this city so attractive.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
I know this artist, or rather his work. I can recognize them among thousands of other paintings and recognize his style. But unfortunately I do not know the names of the paintings or his individual works. At least I did not know until your post.
I had to check teh list of artists because I am not an art person to be honest. I know at least 1 person - Josef Hoffmann. I remembered that he designed the Austrian pavilions for the 1914 Deutscher Werkbund Exhibition in Cologne.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
Like I said before, I am not into the art and it is kind of rare that I am recognising any of them. In this case it is simillar, I knew him only from the pavilons that I mentioned before.
Honestly, I can't even know which period exactly you are referring to because as much as I adore artists' work. I don’t have any knowledge of the history of arts or artists.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
Before reading this article, I couldn’t tell who Alphonse Mucha was, but his work looks familiar to me and I believe he was a great artist.
Before reading this topic I wasn't interested in Art Nouveau epoque, all works that I have seen didn't make any affect to me. But those are incredible! I need to read more about this period.
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
As I said before I wasn't interested in this epoch, so, unfortunately, I cannot tell other paintings of Alphonse Mucha.
2. Sadly, the only things I know about this artist are the ones that you provided in your article. I am really glad that I got to learn them though.
One of my favourites artist at all is the one from the Art Nouveau era that is Stanisław Wyspiański. He wrote a great book "Wesele".
2. What other paintings or drawings created by this author do you know, and what is your opinion on them?
For example "Bóg Ojciec - Stań się" which is available to see in National Museam in Kraków. It's kind of interesting, it's really expressive and dynamic way of interpreting Catholic legacy