The luxurious "women of Alphonse Mucha": masterpieces of the Czech modernist artist, creator of "art for all"

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

July 24 marks the 156th anniversary of the birth of the world famous Czech artist, illustrator, jewelry designer, poster artist Alphonse Mucha … He is called one of the most famous representatives of the Art Nouveau style and the creator of his own unique style. "Women of the Fly" (images of seasons, times of day, flowers, etc. in female images) are known all over the world for their open sensuality and captivating grace.

Alphonse Mucha drew well since childhood, but his attempt to enter the Prague Academy of Arts was unsuccessful. Therefore, he began his career as a decorator, artist of posters and invitation cards. He also did not refuse to paint walls and ceilings in rich houses. Once Mucha worked on decorating the ancestral castle of Count Couen-Belassi, and he was so impressed by the artist's work that he agreed to pay for his studies at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. There he mastered the technique of lithography, which later became his trademark.

After classes in Munich, Mucha moved to Paris, where he studied at the Académie Colarossi and made a living making advertising posters, posters, restaurant menus, calendars and business cards. The meeting of the artist with the actress Sarah Bernhardt became fateful. Once the owner of the printing house de Brunoff ordered a poster for him, Alphonse went to the play and, under the impression, sketched a sketch on a marble slab of a table in a cafe. Later, de Brunoff bought this cafe, and a table with a drawing of Mucha became its main attraction. And when Sarah Bernhardt saw the poster made in the technique of multicolor lithography, she was delighted and wanted to see the author. On her recommendation, Mukha was promoted to chief decorator of the theater and since then has designed many posters, costumes and sets for her performances.

In 1897, the first solo exhibition of Alphonse Mucha was held in France. At the same time, the concept of "woman of the Fly" appeared: it was not his romantic hobbies that were meant, but the habit of depicting the seasons, flowers, time of day, types of art, precious stones, etc. in female images. His women have always been recognizable: graceful, pretty, full of health, sensual, languid - they were replicated in postcards, posters, flyers, playing cards.

The halls of restaurants and the walls of wealthy houses adorned his work, he was incredibly popular, orders came from all over Europe. Soon Mucha began to collaborate with the jeweler Georges Fouquet, who created exclusive jewelry based on his sketches. At the same time, the artist continued to work on the design of packaging, labels and advertising illustrations - from champagne and chocolate to soap and tissue paper. In 1895 Mucha joined the union of the Symbolists "Salon of a hundred". They promoted a new style - Art Nouveau, and the democratization of art, which found expression in the concept of "art for the home": it should be inexpensive, understandable and accessible to the widest sections of the population. Mucha liked to repeat: "Poverty also has a right to beauty."

In 1900 Mucha took part in the decoration of the pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Exhibition in Paris. At that time he became interested in the history of the Slavs, which was the reason for the creation of the cycle "Slavic Epic". From 1904 to 1913Mucha spends a lot of time in America, decorates houses, creates illustrations for books and magazines, posters and sketches of costumes for theatrical performances, lectures at the Art Institute in Chicago. And then he decides to return to the Czech Republic and for 18 years has been working on the "Slav Epic".

Alphonse Mucha also had a chance to visit Russia. His personal exhibition took place here back in 1907, and in 1913 he went to Moscow and St. Petersburg to collect materials for the "Slav Epic". He was greatly impressed by the Tretyakov Gallery and the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Mukha was in the house of the artist Pasternak when they celebrated the publication of the poetry collection of his son, Boris Pasternak.

The work of Alphonse Mucha still finds its successors today: female portraits inspired by the changing seasons