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Happy 150th Birthday Alphonse Mucha!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Born on July 24, 1860, Mucha was talented in both music and art. While he was able to fund his education with his singing, Mucha was more drawn to art and drawing. He worked painting theatrical scenery, and freelance work in portrait painting. In 1887, Mucha moved to Paris and enrolled as a student at Academie Julian and Academie Colarossi. While attending as a student in the City of Lights, Mucha worked as an illustrator for magazines and advertisements. His life changed when famous actress Sarah Bernhardt produced a poster for her newest play, "Gismonda." The poster was a sensation and Bernhardt signed Mucha to six-year contract for his work on her posters. But the poster did much more than further Mucha's career, his work astounded Paris and the world, starting a new movement called Art Nouveau.
Throughout his lifetime as an artist, Mucha designed paintings, posters, advertisements, book illustrations as well as designs for jewelry, carpets and wallpaper. While in Paris, used his popularity to start the traditional artists ball Bal Des Quat'z Arts.
In the 1920s, He produced "The Slav Epic" which consisted of twenty large paintings which were visual dedication to his native Czech and his Slavic people. In Czechoslovakia, with the rapid growth of fascism in the area, Mucha was arrested by the Gestapo and interrogated by the authorities. He eventually contracted pneumonia and though he was released and survived the ordeal, the illness would forever affect his health. A seventy-eight year old Mucha would pass away from a lung infection in Prague on July 14, 1939.
However he left the world a legacy of beautiful, awe-inspiring illustrations that have continued to inspire artists and art lovers everywhere with his beautiful motifs, feminine compositions and natural colors.
"La Danse" was the first Alphonse Mucha I saw several years ago while browsing my newely discovered interest in Art Nouveau (which makes sense because he is the father of Art Nouveau).
I didn't think that I would actually create me own Mucha-influenced piece one day. However, my first pendant necklace I burnt was one of my very own Mucha-influenced mermaid: 
Mucha said it best about art with his quote, "Art exists only to communicate a spiritual message." Read more...
