Alfons Mucha & Art Nouveau

http://www.publicdomainday.org/mucha

Alphonse (Alfons) Mucha 

1860-1939
Moravian painter

• Moravia: a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic and one of the historical Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Czech Silesia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moravia) 

• at time of Mucha's birth, Moravia was a part of Austro-Hungary 

Influential in creating the Art Nouveau movement
raised Roman Catholic

• symbolism evident in his work 

unable to gain admission to Academy of Visual Arts in Prague

• worked as stage set assistant until a fire closed down the theater his company worked for 

1884: Began to attend the Academy of Visual Arts in Milan
Chairman of the Association of Slavic Painters at Milan
1888: studied at the Academie Julian and the Academie Colarossi in Paris despite formal training
couldn't support himself as a painter

• Began to find work as an illustrator 

Designed first advertising poster in 1892: Gismonda

• revolutionary design: emphasis on illustration over text; strongly vertical layout 

Dismissed his connection to Art Nouveau

• believed his art was rooted in local tradition 

Partnered with Georges Fouquet to create jewelry for the 1900 World's Fair
1898: began teaching drawing at the Academie Carmen
Considered his Art Nouveau work frivolous and unimportant
1918: Helped design documents for the Republic of Czechoslovakia

• mostly widely printed is the postage stamp, for which Mucha asked only enough compensation to cover his expenses designed money for the new Republic 

 The Slav Epic (Slovanská epopej) was his attempt to paint the history of the Slavic peoples

• 18 years 
• 20 canvasses 
• Not received well by most, possibly due to change in political and artistic shift 
• Currently on display at Morovsky Krumlov 

Politically for an independent Czech nation

• encouraged a “true Czech style” (http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/design/2012/08/how-alphonse-mucha-designed-the-nation-state-of-czechoslovakia/) 

Was arrested by the Gestapo in Nazi controlled Czechoslovakia right before World War II for his nationalist work; died in prison in 1939

Art Nouveau 

Roots in Art & Crafts movement
Popular at end of 1800s and in early 1900s; “first new decorative style of the twentieth century” (http://www.nga.gov/feature/nouveau/exhibit_intro.shtm)
“the attempt was to eradicate the dividing line between art and audience” http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/mucha.htm
Most important to the decorative arts
Reaction to academic art and Industrial Revolution
International style, with local flavor
transition between historic classicism and modernism

Mucha was a gifted painter who developed a truly unique style. His passion for popularizing art influenced art beyond his designs and style. What were considered “low” forms of art when he was first becoming a household name have since become pivotal mediums for the modern artist—popular art such as magazine illustration is no longer demonized as it once was by art world.

The rise of popular art, in the form of advertising, illustration, and furniture design, certainly has its place in modern museums such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. This museum combines more traditional art exhibits, such as painting, photography, and drawing, with a space that is consciously designed to be a modern piece of art. They have frequently showcased pieces of art from design, along with paintings from more traditional artists. Pioneers of the popularization of art such as Mucha have enabled such spaces to exist; this is, in my opinion, the most important contribution to the world of art from the Art Nouveau period.

Mucha combined his artistic training with his politics, something which seems very modern, but has roots in history. We saw earlier how the invention of the printing press led to the dissemination of information, which had great impact upon the political landscape. Because of print media, Martin Luther became more than an obscure German monk who disagreed with the Catholic Church. Because of his patriotism and artistic talent, Mucha was more than a graphic designer who made theatre posters. Around the same point in time, propaganda posters come into prominence both in Allied nations and German and Soviet nations.

The modern world has been shaped in part by politics, art, and the intermixing of the two. We likely wouldn't have the technology that we do without the push for quicker means of disseminating information, and it certainly wouldn't be as well-designed as it is if not for schools of thought like Art Nouveau which advocated bringing art to the masses.

Resources:
Meggs, Philip B., Alston W. Purvis. Meggs' History of Graphic Design. John Wiley and Sons. 2011. Kindle Edition.
http://www.abcgallery.com/M/mucha/muchabio.html 
http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/mucha.htm
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/mucha.html 
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/design/2012/08/how-alphonse-mucha-designed-the-nation-state-of-czechoslovakia/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau 
http://www.nga.gov/feature/nouveau/exhibit_intro.shtm