Alphonse Mucha

Poster by Alphonse Mucha

Alphonse Maria Mucha (or Alfons Maria Mucha) listen (help·info) (July 24, 1860–July 14, 1939) was a Czechoslovakian painter and decorative artist. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2877x3574, 1011 KB) Alphonse Mucha, half-length portrait, facing right, taken aroun 1906. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2877x3574, 1011 KB) Alphonse Mucha, half-length portrait, facing right, taken aroun 1906. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (736x1000, 275 KB) Summary Poster by Alfons Mucha Licensing This image is in the public domain in the United States. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (736x1000, 275 KB) Summary Poster by Alfons Mucha Licensing This image is in the public domain in the United States. ... July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Czechoslovakia (Czech: Československo, Slovak: Česko-Slovensko/before 1990 Československo) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1992 (except for the World War II period). ... Painting by Rembrandt self-portrait Detail from Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, in which the painter portrayed himself at work For the computer graphics program, see Corel Painter. ...

Life and art

Alphonse Maria Mucha was born in the town of Ivančice, Moravia. His singing abilities allowed him to continue his education through high school in the Moravian capital of Brno, even though drawing had been his first love since childhood. He worked at decorative painting jobs in Moravia, mostly painting theatrical scenery, then in 1879 moved to Vienna to work for a leading Viennese theatrical design company, while informally furthering his artistic education. When a fire destroyed his employer's business in 1881 he returned to Moravia, doing freelance decorative and portrait painting. Count Karl Khuen of Mikulov hired Mucha to decorate Hrušovany Emmahof Castle with murals, and was impressed enough that he agreed to sponsor Mucha's formal training at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. Ivančice (German Eibenschütz) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic, near Brno. ... Flag of Moravia Moravia (Czech and Slovak: Morava; German: ; Hungarian: ; Polish: ) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic. ... Brno ( ) (IPA: ) (Czech: Brno) (German: Brünn) is the second largest city in the Czech Republic. ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Inhabitants according to official census figures: 1800 to 2005 Vienna in 1858 Vienna (German: Wien ) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Mikulov (German Nikolsburg) is a town in the Czech Republic, in South Moravian Region. ... The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (German: Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, also known as Munich Academy) was founded 1808 by Maximilian I of Bavaria in Munich as the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. In 1946, the Academy was merged with the schools for arts-and-crafts and...

Mucha moved to Paris in 1887, and continued his studies at Académie Julian and Academie Colarossi while also producing magazine and advertising illustrations. In 1894, he produced the artwork for a lithographed poster advertising Sarah Bernhardt at the Theatre de la Renaissance. Mucha's lush stylized poster art won him fame and numerous commissions.-1... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France. ... The Acad mie Colarossi is an art school founded by the Italian sculptor, Filippo Colarossi. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Negative lithography stone and positive print of a map of Munich. ... Sarah Bernhardt (portrait by Nadar) Sarah Bernhardt (October 23, 1844 – March 26, 1923) was a French stage actress. ... Arlette Dorgère by Jules Chéret Poster art has its development origins in Paris, France after the creation of the three-color lithograph process around 1850. ...

Mucha produced a flurry of paintings, posters, advertisements, and book illustrations, as well as designs for jewellery, carpets, wallpaper, and theatre sets in what came to be known as the Art Nouveau style. Mucha's works frequently featured beautiful healthy young women in flowing vaguely Neoclassical looking robes, often surrounded by lush flowers which sometimes formed haloes behind the women's heads. His art nouveau style was often imitated. However, this was a style that Mucha attempted to distance himself from throughout his life; he insisted always that, rather than adhering to any fashionable stylistic form, his paintings came purely from within. He declared that art existed only to communicate a spiritual message, and nothing more; hence his frustration at the fame he gained through commercial art, when he wanted always to concentrate on more lofty projects that would ennoble art and his birthplace. Poster by Alfons Mucha Art Nouveau (IPA: , anglicised ) (French for new art) is an international style of art, architecture and design that peaked in popularity at the beginning of the 20th century. ... Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture. ... Jesus is usually depicted with a round halo bearing a cross, as in this dome mosaic from the Church of Daphni in Athens. ... Commercial art refers to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. ...

Mucha visited the USA from 1906 to 1910, then returned to the Czech lands and settled in Prague, where he decorated the Theater of Fine Arts and other landmarks of the city. 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

When Czechoslovakia won its independence after World War I, Mucha designed the new postage stamps, banknotes, and other government documents for the new nation. He even sketched designs for the Czechoslovak police uniforms! Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul... A selection of Hong Kong postage stamps A postage stamp is evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services. ... A £20 Bank of England banknote. ...

He spent many years working on what he considered his masterpiece, The Slav Epic (Slovanská epopej), a series of huge paintings depicting the history of the Slavic peoples, gifted to the city of Prague in 1928. He had dreamt of completing a series such as this, a celebration of Slavic history, since he was young. 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The rising tide of fascism in the late 1930s led to Mucha's works, as well as his Slavic nationalist outlook, being denounced in the press as 'reactionary'. When German troops marched into Czechoslovakia in the spring of 1939, Mucha was among the first people to be arrested by the Gestapo. During the course of the interrogation the ageing artist fell ill with pneumonia. He never recovered from the strain of this event, or seeing his home invaded and overcome. He died in Prague on July 14 of a lung infection, 1939 and was interred there in the Vyšehrad cemetery. Fascism (IPA: ) is a radical political ideology that combines elements of corporatism, authoritarianism, nationalism, militarism, anti-liberalism and anti-communism. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Deaths Head emblem similar to skull and crossbones, often used as the insignia of the Gestapo The   (contraction of Geheime Staatspolizei; Secret State Police) was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. ... July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Established in 1869 on the grounds of VyÅ¡ehrad Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, the VyÅ¡ehrad cemetery (VyÅ¡ehradský hÅ™bitov in Czech) is the final resting place of many composers, artists, sculptors, writers, and those from the world of science and politics. ...

Legacy

The Stuckists Punk Victorian book with a Paul Harvey painting

By the time of his death, Mucha's style was considered outdated and old-fashioned. However, his son, author Jiří Mucha, devoted much of his life writing about him and bringing attention to his art. Interest in Mucha's distinctive style experienced a strong revival in the 1960s (with a general interest in Art Nouveau)[1] and is particularly evident in the psychedelic posters of Hapshash and the Coloured Coat, the collective name for two British artists, Michael English and Nigel Waymouth, who designed posters for groups such as Pink Floyd and The Incredible String Band. It has continued to experience periodic revivals of interest for illustrators and artists. It is a strong acknowledged influence for Stuckist painter Paul Harvey whose subjects have included Madonna and whose work was used to promote The Stuckists Punk Victorian show at the Walker Art Gallery during the 2004 Liverpool Biennial. Image File history File links Stuckists-Punk. ... Image File history File links Stuckists-Punk. ... The first national gallery exhibition of Stuckist art was at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool from September 18, 2004 - February 20, 2005. ... Paul Harvey (born in Burton-upon-Trent, 1960) is an artist and musician. ... Jiří Mucha (March 12, 1915-April 5, 1991) was a Czech author of autobiographical novels and studies of the works of his father, the noted artist Alfons Mucha. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Poster by Alfons Mucha Art Nouveau (IPA: , anglicised ) (French for new art) is an international style of art, architecture and design that peaked in popularity at the beginning of the 20th century. ... Poster for Pink Floyd at the CIA-UFO club, July 28, 1967, by Hapshash and the Coloured Coat Hapshash and the Coloured Coat were a British graphics team consisting of Michael English and Nigel Waymouth in the 1960s, producing psychedelic posters. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band noted for psychedelic rock music, philosophical lyrics, classical rock compositions, sonic experimentation, innovative cover art, and elaborate live shows. ... The iconic cover of the bands 2nd album designed by The Fool The Incredible String Band were (and are) a Scottish acoustic band who way back in the 1960s built a popular following among the British counter culture, and are considered psych folk music pioneers. ... The logo on the Stuckism International web site Stuckism is an art movement that was founded in 1999 in Britain by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson to promote figurative painting in opposition to conceptual art. ... Paul Harvey (born in Burton-upon-Trent, 1960) is an artist and musician. ... Madonna Louise Ciccone (born August 16, 1958), better known worldwide as simply Madonna, is an iconic American pop singer, songwriter, musician, record and film producer, dancer, actress, author, A music and fashion icon whose level of fame and success has earned her superstar status for more than two decades. ... The first national gallery exhibition of Stuckist art was at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool from September 18, 2004 - February 20, 2005. ... This page is about the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. ... The Liverpool Biennial is the UKs largest international festival of contemporary art. ...

See also

• Art Nouveau

Poster by Alfons Mucha Art Nouveau (IPA: , anglicised ) (French for new art) is an international style of art, architecture and design that peaked in popularity at the beginning of the 20th century. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Alphonse Mucha

• Website of the Mucha Foundation
• Website of Mucha Museum in Prague
• The Slav Epic
• Lit19.com's Online Exhibit of Alphonse Mucha's Art
• Alphonse Mucha at the Art Renewal Center
• Painting by Alphonse Mucha Graces Pisek, N. Dak., Church