Alfons Mucha

Alfons Maria Mucha , born with Ivančice (which formed then part of the Empire Austro-Hungarian) the July 24th 1860 and died in Prague the July 14th 1939, is a Czech painter , iron-of-lance of the style Art nouveau.

Beginnings

Second child of Ondřej Mucha, Bailiff, his aptitude for the song allows him to continue his education in the Moravian capital, Brno, but its young love was always the drawing. After having completed some decorative work in Moravie (primarily of the stage sets), he emigrates in 1879 with Vienna in order to work for more the large company of stage sets of Vienna, while continuing his artistic formation. He returns in Moravie in 1881, after a fire destroyed this company, and carries out decorations and portraits of independent. The count Karl Khuen of Mikulov, having recruited it to decorate the walls with the castle Hrusovany Emmahof, is impressed so much that it finances the studies of Mucha with Munich.

Parisian rise

Mucha goes then to Paris in 1887 to continue its studies with the Académie Julian and the Académie Colarossi, while producing a review and by carrying out advertizing posters. Only artist available in December 1894, it carries out the advertizing poster of Gismonda, the part played by Sarah Bernhardt with the Théâtre of the Rebirth where it is engaged for six years. Its untied style is worth a certain notoriety to him. It carries out in particular Lorenzaccio , the Lady with the camellias (1896), Hamlet and Médée (1898).

In 1896, it takes part in the Exposure of the Circus of Rheims and carries out the poster of the Salon of the Hundred which is held with Paris.

Mucha is also known to have produced a series of paintings, posters and advertizing posters belonging to the style Art nouveau. Among most famous, one can quote Lefèvre-Useful, Job, Perfecta, Ruinart, Moët and Chandon.

It often represented beautiful young women in neo-classic dresses with draped loose, often crowned flowers forming a halation above their head. Its style was quickly imitated, but without the key of beauty and artistic that only Mucha could give.

The return to the sources

Mucha goes then to the the United States of 1906 to 1910 there to collect funds and to carry out what he regarded as his main work, the Épopée of Slavic the . It is Charles Crane, an industrial rich person met with Chicago which enables him to return in Bohemia and to be established with Prague. In addition to the realization of sound Epopee , it decorates the National theater, the municipal Maison as well as other monuments of the city. When the Czechoslovakia obtains its independence after the First World War, it conceives new the postage stamps (of which the first emission of the Château of Prague ), banknotes and other official documents for the new nation.

He dies in Prague the July 14th 1939, a few days after being questioned by the Gestapo. Its body is thrown to the common grave, the Catholic church having refused a Christian ground burial to him because of its membership of the Franc-maçonnerie. A commemorative plaque is dedicated to him to the cemetery of the Great men of Prague.

At the time of its death, its style already was regarded as exceeded, but the interest for this splendid art reappeared in the years 1960 and periodically continues to inspire and influence the contemporary illustrators. His/her son Jiří Mucha, an author who wrote much on his father, often drew the attention to his work.

A maconnic cabin French-speaking, to Prague, bears its name.

Mucha in some dates

1860 : July 24th, Alphonse Maria Mucha is born in Ivancice, in the south of Moravie. His/her father Ondrej Mucha, usher with the court.
1871: Mucha obtains a place in a chrorale of the church Saint-Pierre de Brno, capital of Moravie.
1875: It returns in its birthplace or his/her father finds to him an use of clerk to the court.
1878: Mucha presents its candidature to enter to the Academy of beautiful arts of Prague. Its request is rejected with the recommendation: “Choose another profession where you will be more useful. ”
1879: it leaves to Vienna to work as painter of decorations for the Kautsky-Brioschi-Burghardt company.
1881: It leaves Vienna when Ringtheater, the best customer of its employer, burns in a fire or 500 people find death. Mucha, in its capacity as younger employee is congédié. It goes to Mikulov where it earns its living as painter of Portraits. It meets the count Khuen Belasi which places to him an order for the decoration of its castle to Emmahof.
1883: It settles with the castle of Gandegg in the the Tyrol, where the brother of the count Khuen, an artist amateur, becomes the patron of Mucha.
1885: It begins its studies with the Academy of Munich, sponsored by the brother of the count Khuen.
1887: It settles in Paris to study with the Académie Julian, always sponsored by the count.
1888: It leaves the Julian Academy and becomes student with the Colarossi Academy.
1889: The sponsorship of the count ends. It leaves the Colarossi Academy and seeks work as illustrator.
1890: It settles in the studio above the dairy of Mrs Charlotte in the street of the Large Thatched cottage. It starts to illustrate a magazine of theater, in which appears its first drawing of Sarah Bernhardt in Cléopâtre.

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