Mucha was a Czech Painter, illustrator, and graphic artist, that lived in Paris during the time the Art Nouveau period was starting up through the 1890s-1910. His most recognized pieces of artwork revolve around stylized theatrical posters he made of actress Sarah Bernhardt.
ALPHONSE MUCHA
“The purpose of my work was never to destroy but always to create, to construct bridges, because we must live in the hope that humankind will draw together and that the better we understand each other, the easier this will become.”
Before is career as a Art Nouveau artist, Mucha had many ups and downs. His first spark of interest in the art world was that of singing. He received a musical education at the Gymnazium Brno in Brno Czech Republic in the 1870’s, which then lead him to a passion to pursue other art forms. He had done artwork earlier into his childhood, and after his time at Brno, he found some employment to design some theatrical scenery and decorations at local theaters. Then he travelled to Vienna in 1880 and found employment as a scenery painter for a company that made sets for theaters in the city.
Due to misfortunes in the company, he had to travel back to his hometown of Moravia and began making portraits and lettering for tombstones. He later was commissioned by a man named Cont Eduard Khuen Belasi, and captured by how well in skill Mucha was with mythological themes, the female form, as well as vegetal decoration, Belasi took Mucha in and helped him go to the Munich Academy of Fine Arts, where he truly began to study art in 1885. After two years there, he decided to move to Paris in 1887, to start his art career.
Mucha decided to follow in the steps of a famous illustrator of magazines at the time, Ludek Marold, and began providing illustrations for the weekly magazine La Vie Popular, as well as Le petit Francais Illustre, which provided published stories for young people that was in both book and magazine form. His took on major illustration commissions, which then lead to his major career spark with that of Sarah Bernhardt. In 1894 she requested a new poster for one of her ongoing plays, and called a firm Mucha happened to be at during the time collecting proofs. When there were no artist at the firm at the time due to the holidays, Mucha was asked to make a poster for Bernhardt. The poster was her in a byzantine style garments, and was around two meters tall. Once it was displayed across Paris on January 1st, 1895, it captivated people all over the city. This then gave Mucha a 6 year contract to produce more posters for Bernhardt. This sparked his career and popularity as he created posters for the actress.
“Art exists only to communicate a spiritual Message.”-Mucha
ART NOUVEAU
“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life”
-William Morris
Art nouveau is a form of art that applies decorative elements into each of its pieces. The inspiration for this style is inspired heavily on natural forms, such as curved lines from plants and flowers. The time frame of this movement was between that of 1890-1910. Art nouveau ranged from not only artwork, but it also was a part of architecture, interior design, furniture, jewelry, metal work, etc.
This movement had its start in Great Britain, where the influence of William Morris, as well as his pupils that founded the Arts and Crafts Movement. Early signs of Art Nouveau came from that of the Red house designed by Morris himself, and The peacock room designed by James Abbott Neil Whistler. The movement was also heavily inspired by the Pre-raphaelite painters, as well as the British graphic artist from the 1880’s.
Another very heavy influence in Art nouveau was that of the style called japonism: the use of woodblock Printing. This movement captured attention to many artist, that including Gustav Klimt. This stylization in Japanese Prints, this elements, were brought into art Nouveau graphics, jewelry, furniture, porcelain, etc.
Gustav Klimt
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Gallery of Mucha
