Art Nouveau and the Life of Alphonse Mucha

I suspect everyone in the world has seen the art of Alphonse Mucha (July 24. 1860 – July 14, 1939) at some time in his or her life. He had a long and very productive career as a sculptor, painter, photographer and, probably most famously as a poster artist. Born in Prague, the son of a court usher, in 1878, he applied to Prague Academy of Fine Arts where he was rejected with the recommendation that he "Find yourself another profession where you'll be more useful". After working in Vienna as a scene painter, he finally was commissioned to decorate the castle of Count Khuen Belasi at Emmahof in 1881.

In 1887, Mucha moved to Paris where he continued his studies and worked primarily as an illustrator. He lived the life of the typical struggling Parisian artist for several years. For a brief period, he shared a studio with Gauguin and did illustration art for popular magazines to help support himself. This was the height of Impressionism and the beginning of the Symbolists and Decadents in art.

The producers of the new play that starred Sarah Bernhardt were desperate for an andvertising poster over the Christmas holidays of 1894. Mucha offered to create one on very short notice. The near life-sized poster was published in January 1895 and immediately created a sensation.

The term “Art Nouveau” or “new art” was born at this time. The underlying principle of the new style was to blur the line between art and the observer. Everything could and should be art and art existed only to communicate a spiritual message, and nothing more. While he disavowed the association of Art Nouveau in his work, insisting that he simply painted in his own style and was not interested in “starting a new art movement,” his art “was based on a strong composition, sensuous curves derived from nature, refined decorative elements and natural colors. The Art Nouveau precepts were used, too, but never at the expense of his vision.” - ImageNETion

The result was so popular in Paris and Miss Bernhardt was so pleased with it that she entered into a six year contract with him. The following period was very productive for him as he produced a volume of work in the “Mucha style” which later became know as Art Nouveau. The range of his work included posters, paintings, drawings, wallpaper and designs for jewelry and carpet. But his true love was his painting and the few sculptures he created. He declared that art existed only to communicate a spiritual message, and nothing more; he was frustrated by the fame he gained through commercial art, when he most wanted to concentrate on more lofty projects that would ennoble art and his birthplace.

Commissions poured in. By 1898, he had moved to a new studio, He illustrated for Ilsee, had his first one-man show and had begun publishing graphics with Champenois, a new printer.   He promoted Mucha's work with postcards and panneaux - sets of four large images around a central theme (four seasons, four times of day, four flowers, etc. Most of these sets were created for the collector market and printed on silk. - ImageNETion

Within five years, he was an internationally acclaimed and very successful artist. He was now free to concentrate on the work he most wanted to do. With the financial backing of a Chicago millionaire, he started work on the Slav series of historical works depicting the history of his native Moravia.  The series took 18 years to complete and was never appreciated by the critics who considered him passé by then.

Today, his designs are very popular and posters of his work are sold around the world.