Artist Alphonse Mucha. Creation. Biography. A photo

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Alphonse Mucha - a Czech artist whose name has become a symbol of the Golden Age of painting in the West, is practically unknown in our country. Meanwhile, the talented master left a deep mark on the history of art, introducing his own unique style, which is still called the “Fly style”. What is the mystery and tragedy of the famous artist's fate? This is our article.

Biography

Alphonse Mucha was born in 1860 in the town of Ivancice (Moravia). His father was a court official, and his mother was the daughter of a we althy miller. From childhood, the boy showed his creative inclinations, carried away by singing. Already at school age he began to draw, and after graduating from the gymnasium he decided to enter the Prague Academy of Arts. He failed his exams, so he had to look for a job. The father arranges his son as a clerk in court, and in his free time, Alfons Mucha works part-time in the theater. He tries himself as an actor, and then a poster decorator. It was a time of creative wanderings and self-discovery. For some time he works as a stage designer for the theater, and then he is invited to paint the wallsthe castle of the Count of Couen-Belassi. The count, admiring the talent of the artist, agrees to pay for his education at the Academy of Arts in Munich.

Recognition

After training, Alphonse Mucha moves to Paris. However, by this time his patron dies, and the artist is left without a livelihood. To do what you love, you need expensive paints, brushes and paper. To feed themselves, the future celebrity is forced to earn a living by making posters, posters, invitations and calendars. But fate favors genius. One such poster radically changes Alphonse's life. Sarah Bernhardt, a famous actress, for whose performance Mucha wrote an order, recommends him as the main decorator of the Renaissance Theater. The artist instantly becomes famous. From orders for posters, as well as advertising posters for various products, there was no end. At the same time, Alphonse Mucha begins to paint original paintings, organizes solo exhibitions in Paris.

Love

New moments in life are connected with Paris. Here, at the National Theatre, Mucha meets a young Czech woman, Maria Khitilova. A girl who is 20 years younger falls in love with an artist and arranges a meeting with him herself. Maria becomes a new muse for Alphonse, the second love in life, as he himself noted, after his homeland. In 1906 the master marries Maria. They later have two daughters and a son. At the same time, Mucha moved to the United States at the invitation of the American Society of Illustrators, where he continued to work until 1910. Here he receives several orders forportraits, and also lectures at New York University. But the dream of home does not leave the artist, and soon he returns to the Czech Republic.

Last tribute to the Motherland

After returning to Prague, Alfons Mucha, whose paintings are becoming known all over the world, starts his most ambitious work. He plans to paint monumental canvases depicting the history of the Slavic peoples. In 1928, the author finishes the "Slavic Epic" and presents it to his native Prague. Mucha's work on the creation of official banknotes and stamps of independent Czechoslovakia belongs to the same period. All his life Alphonse does not stop learning and improving his artistic talent.

Forgotten Genius

After the 30s, interest in the work of the fly begins to fall, and by the beginning of the 2nd World War, it is even included in the list of enemies of the III Reich. He was imprisoned on suspicion of promoting anti-fascist and nationalist sentiments. After a series of arrests and interrogations in 1939, Alphonse dies of pneumonia, having managed to publish his memoirs in 1939. Mucha was buried in the Czech Republic at the Visegrad cemetery.

Family

Fly lived a long and fruitful life, leaving behind talented descendants. Maria, a student and wife of the master, outlived her husband by 20 years. Jiri, the artist's son, became a well-known journalist, and the master's daughters and grandchildren inherited their creative abilities. So, Mukha's granddaughter Yarmila, who is still alive, created a project to create decorative items based on her grandfather's sketches.

Creativity

Alphonse Mucha, whose paintings became popular not only at home, but also in other countries, was able to achieve stunning success in his life. Having been educated in Brno, and then in Munich and Paris, the author began his career with illustrations in fashion magazines. Collaborating with many well-known magazines and newspapers, such as "People's Life", "Figaro" and "Parisian Life", the artist developed his own, unique style. There were also serious works at this time, such as the History of Germany. Mucha's fate took a turn in 1893, when he received the usual order from the Renaissance Theater for a playbill for the play Gismonda. Sarah Bernard took part in the performance. The great actress was fascinated by the work. She wanted to get to know the author of the poster personally. She also subsequently insisted that Alphonse become the chief decorator of the Renaissance Theater. So Mucha suddenly became one of the most popular artists in Paris. He began to write posters, posters, postcards. His paintings began to decorate the most fashionable restaurants and ladies' boudoirs. During this period, the artist Mucha Alfons painted the famous series of paintings "Seasons", "Stars", "Months". Today, the master's works are included in the collections of museums around the world, and in Prague there is a museum entirely dedicated to the work of the famous countryman.

The most famous series of paintings

Mukha painted several hundred paintings and posters throughout his life. Among the most famous works, a significant place is occupied by the famous series "Seasons", "Flowers","Months", "Precious Stones", as well as the world-famous "Slavic epic". Consider the history of writing the most famous paintings of the author.

Slavic epic

At the end of his life, the artist Mukha Alfons plans to create a series of works about the history of the Slavic peoples. For the sake of his dream, the master goes to work in America, where he is forced to work hard, creating advertising posters and posters. Mucha collected ideas for future paintings while traveling through the Slavic countries, including Russia. Work on the "Epic" lasts 20 years. As a result, Alphonse painted 20 canvases measuring 6 by 8 meters. These paintings, filled with calmness, wisdom and spirituality, are considered his best works. The canvases reveal the history of several peoples at once. For example, the work "Battle of Grunwald" tells us about the liberation of Lithuania and Poland, which survived the battle with the crusaders. Here is a brief description of the picture. Alphonse Mucha included in the plot real historical events that took place in the 13th century in Europe. The work is filled with grief and emotion about the fate of the Slavic peoples in difficult periods of bloody wars. In each of his paintings of the Slavic Epic series, the artist reflects his faith in the bright future of his people. The most famous work from this series is the painting "The Apotheosis of Slavic History". The canvas depicts four eras of the development of Slavic culture and history at once: the ancient world, the Middle Ages, the period of oppression and a bright future. The picture realized all the skill and talent of the great artist. primary goalMucha's creativity is to help people understand each other, to become closer. After completing the main work of his life, Alphonse presented the entire series of paintings to his beloved city of Prague. The work was completed in 1928, but since then there was no place in Prague to store and display such large-scale paintings, the Slavic Epic was first shown in the Palace of Fairs, and after the war was placed in one of the Moravian castles. After the war, the works were put on public display only in 1963. To this day, residents and guests of the city can admire this gift of the famous master, whose name is Alphonse Mucha.

Seasons

At the end of the 19th century, the artist was actively working on illustrations for the fashionable Parisian magazine Kokoriko. For the first time, a cycle of paintings made in gouache and pencil, called "12 Months", appears on its pages. The works, distinguished by their original style and originality, immediately fell in love with the readers. The drawings were images of graceful women with lush hair and beautiful figures. All the ladies looked attractive and seductive. A mysterious and graceful woman, drowning in a sea of flowers, has always been depicted in the very center of the work. The paintings were framed by elegant floral ornaments made in the oriental style. In 1986, the author paints the decorative panel "Seasons", preserving the images of divine beauties. Now the work is done with gouache and ink, but the style remains the same. The paintings were released in limited series,but sold out very quickly. The panels were printed on silk or thick paper and hung in living rooms, boudoirs and various restaurants. All drawings differed in mood and color scheme, which Alphonse Mucha carefully selected. Spring, for example, was depicted in pastel light pink colors. Summer - with the help of bright green shades, autumn - rich orange, and winter - transparent cold. At the same time, all the paintings are filled with charm, tenderness and tranquility.

Promotional posters

The artist wrote his first advertising poster in 1882. He quickly realized that this was a very profitable business. True, the then unknown artist did not receive so many orders. He painted posters for various theatrical productions. After the arrival of popularity (thanks to Sarah Bernhardt), he becomes one of the leading artists of Parisian advertising. The posters reflected the original "Fly style" (named so later). The paintings were rich in colors and details. His compositions, usually depicting languid luxurious girls, began to be printed in the form of posters in fashion newspapers and magazines. "Women of the Fly" (as they are beginning to be called in Paris) circulate in thousands of copies in posters, calendars, playing cards, advertising labels. The artist creates labels for matches, bicycles and champagne. There was simply no end to good orders, and now all of Paris will know who Alphonse Mucha is. The poster (the description of the painting "The Four Seasons" is already presented above) is to the taste of the director of one of the famous Champenois publishing houses, and the artistconcludes a lucrative contract with him. Later, while working in America, the master continues to work on a series of advertising posters, earning money for his dream "Slavic epic". Until now, these works of the master are replicated around the world in the form of fashionable art posters.

Alphonse Mucha Museum in Prague

Is the only official museum of the artist. It was opened in 1998 by the descendants of the famous master. The expositions presented in the halls tell about the life and work of a skilled painter. Visitors to the Alphonse Mucha Museum get acquainted with a series of art posters created by the author at the end of the 19th century. The works reflect the elegance and beauty of female images, so beloved by the artist. Here you can also see the famous poster for the theatrical production of Gismond, which changed the life of a genius. It is from this picture that the exclusive "Mukha's style" begins, which distinguishes his work from all his predecessors. Further, guests can enjoy the spirit of the “revival” of the Czech state in the form of stamps and banknotes designed by Alfons himself. A significant place in the museum is devoted to the famous paintings of the Slavic Epic. Visitors will also learn the details of the author's personal life. The museum presents photographs of models and friends of the great artist, as well as sketches for his future works.

Conclusion

Alphonse Mucha gave rise to a new style in art, becoming a role model for many famous artists of the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. "Mukha's style", expressive, spiritual and understandable to an inexperienced viewer, still remainspopular among modern craftsmen and designers. It feels the soul of the author, his piercing love for the motherland and an amazing sense of beauty. The bold sensuality of the author's paintings delights, fascinates and surprises anyone who discovers this unique and mysterious "Fly style". All this makes the creations of Alphonse Mucha a significant milestone in the history of world art.