Mucha: The Art Nouveau Poster King
The purpose of my work was never to destroy but always to create, to construct bridges, because we must live in the hope that humankind will draw together and that the better we understand each other the easier this will become. Alphonse Mucha
Here we are on the last day of March and I’m squeezing Mr. Mucha in, just in time. Those who have this year’s calendar have been enjoying, I hope, this artist in my rendition of his style. Here is an artist I adore, for his complex, yet enticing large-scale posters. His fancy scroll work fascinates me, as does the intertwining of flowers and botanical features with what is usually a young woman with flowing hair and flowing gown. And, I’m a general fan of Art Nouveau, although Mucha did not want to be classified as an Nouveau artist.
I’ve created this video to showcase his work. It may the general karma of our situation today, but I’ve had more than one glitch creating this particular video. No details needed; suffice it to say, I’ve called upon Animoto to create this tribute, but unlike iMovie or other video programs, Animoto does not give me much control. Therefore, the text in the video flies by a bit too quickly for my taste, even though I’ve tweeked it. I’ve copied those slides below for you to peruse at a slower pace. He was quite an interesting person, as most artists are! I encourage you to read his story. I took my information from a lovely book I own, but the internet also has much to say about him.
Al;honse Mucha Masterworks by Rosalind Ormiston
In 2013, I was lucky enough to be able to visit the Mucha Museum in Prague, established by his son to honor Mucha.. It was fabulous, with lifesized posters and murals abundant.(And where I took A LOT of photos that ultimately I lost with stolen baggage. Another reason to revisit that great city, don’t you think?)
Feel like coloring? This came from a free site, so I offer it to you with little trepidation that I am infringing on a copyright. Something to do in this long upcoming month?
