Thursday, June 16, 2011

I'm Obsessed: Alphonse Mucha

Words can barely express my appreciation for the work of Alphonse Mucha and Art Nouveau sensibilities. Circa 1900-ish, the style was so popular, that Mucha even wrote a manual to encourage the style to be applied to mediums beyond just 2D art, from hardware to architecture. In my past few trips to Europe, Art Nouveau has become a constant motif. Whether it was seeking out the Victor Horta Museum in Brussels or stumbling across an Art Nouveau ceramics and jewelry exhibition at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris these happenstances could only lead me to one thing: visiting the Mucha Museum in Prague. While many artists were involved in the movement, Mucha was a trailblazer in the graphic design realm. The museum houses the largest collection of his works, from his iconic Parisian prints to his lesser known paintings and his more Slavic themed posters. Surprise, surprise, nothing could possibly compare to seeing the original works right before your eyes! The colors are so very subtle, they look flat and dull in reproductions, but in reality they are these amazing vivid pastel hues. The best part about that museum is that I was able to take a part back with me thanks to their extensive poster selection. After much debate I settled on two prints from the Moon and the Stars series, the Morning Star and the Moon. These babies are not leaving their protective tube until I work up the nerve to drop the necessary funds to get them properly framed. Luckily for you and me, I have scoured the web for my favorite pieces that I saw in Prague plus a few others. The best of the best is below. I went a little overboard but can you blame me? Next mission, return to the Czech Republic to tour the tiny town that houses The Slav Epic, Mucha's crowning achievement. Each of the 20 canvases measures about 27 x 20 feet!
Four Times of Day

Four Flowers (carnation, lily, iris, rose)



Precious Stones (ruby, amethyst, emerald, topaz)

The Moon and the Stars (morning star, evening star, polar star, the moon) 

Primrose and Feathers

Flower and Fruit

Gypsy

Portfolio

The Four Seasons

Heather From the Costal Cliffs/Thistle From the Sands

Panel from The Slav Epic (above and two below)



Woman in the Wilderness



5 comments:

  1. Oh yes...i also fall in love long time ago to this great artist Alphonse Mucha. All my stuff i made
    influence the time 1900.
    Greetings
    Maide

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Maide, they don't make things like they used to that's for sure! Thanks for stopping by. Your boot creations are too cool!

    ReplyDelete
  3. We just visited the Mucha Museum in Prague, it was lovely.
    In the art books of our children I want to mention some of his works, the children liked especially the works with four motives (the four seasons, precious stones, the four flowers and the four times of the day). I was looking for the titles of the single works in the internet (if I had known that it would be that difficult I would have taken notes in the museum...). Thanks to your above list I can finish the books now! Thanks a lot!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad the post was helpful! It was definitely an effort to find all his works online. Mucha's work continues to inspire me regularly. If you need some other good Art Nouveau destinations - I found Brussels to be wonderful in this regard. I just heard that Mucha's Slav Epic series has been moved to Prague from a remote area of the Czech countryside. As if I needed another reason to go back!

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...