Alfons Mucha, 1860-1939: Master of Art Nouveau by Renate Ulmer (2009-05-04)
Category: Books
Alfons Mucha, 1860-1939: Master of Art Nouveau by Renate Ulmer (2009-05-04) Details
The creator of Art Nouveau's greatest beauties. Alfons Mucha's is an art of seduction. His graceful women, delicate colors, and decorative style add up to an unashamed act of temptation. Mucha (1860-1939), whose work is indissolubly linked with the Art Nouveau style, was one of the most fascinating artistic personalities of the turn of the 20th century. He was not only a painter and graphic artist, but also took an interest in sculpture, jewelry, interior decorating, and utilitarian art. His particular talents, however, lay in decorative graphics, which was the basis of his fame and remains so today. This book traces all aspects of his career via biographical and descriptive texts and a wide selection of images. Read more
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Reviews
Mucha's style epitomized, maybe defined Art Nouveau. His languid female figures, sentimental views of nature and classics, and loose allegories created a clear, strong graphic style. Perhaps it's ironic that Mucha's romantic style traces directly to a project done for commercial publicity.A commission in 1894 had Mucha create the first of his posters for Sarah Bernhardt. The poster's lithographic printing process imposed constraints to which his earlier oil paintings were not subject. For example, outlines around each feature derive from the idea of a "key block" for the multicolor process, and help hide uncertain registration in printing. Since it was necessary, Mucha made it part of his visual style, and used it in cigarette and soap ads as much in odes to the arts, senses, and seasons.This brief book presents a small selection of Mucha's huge output. It focuses largely on the commericial art from his incredibly productive 1895-1900 period. One earlier oil painting starts the collection; jewelry, interior design, and sculpture from all parts of his career appear as well. This collection also displays a few preparatory photos and drawings, sometimes with the finished work that they helped to develop. Although this book is well printed on bright, opaque paper, it's modest size sometimes makes the finest detail hard to pick out. Brevity is a problem, too - the biographical summary takes up only a few pages in the front of the book, but the book didn't have very many pages to give up. Still, it's an affordable and enjoyable summary, plenty to coax the reader into seeking out more of the beloved artist's work.-- wireweird
