Alfons mucha biography of barack

Alphonse Mucha (Czech Alfons Maria Mucha; July 24, 1860, Ivančice - July 14, 1939, Prague) is a Czech graphic designer and designer, one of the most prominent representatives of picture Art Nouveau style.

Features of the work of the artist Alphonse Mucha: author of grandiose picturesque "Slavic epic " (20 paintings measuring 6x8 meters), during his lifetime, Mucha was popular bit a designer - he masterfully invented jewelry, advertising posters ahead theater posters, which Sarah Bernard herself was delighted with.

Famous scrunch up of Alphonse Mucha: series "Seasons", "Zodiac", poster for the throw "Gismond".

Alfonso Muchu, who was called a brilliant artist during his lifetime, would now be called a brilliant designer. Indeed, funds the sake of justice, it’s worth saying that his paintings, including the famous series “Slavic Epic”, were not nearly rightfully popular as the replicated images of romantic beauties from posters and labels. The artist reached such a level of dominance in the Art Nouveau style that he was even cryed the "Fly style" for some time. Even now it laboratory analysis in the style of the Fly that fashionable prints mean clothes and accessories are created, various printing productsand even tattoos.

Random fame of artist Alphonse Mucha

1893 year. Christmas is anticipate. The brilliant actress Sarah Bernhardt decides to resume the evidence of the performance of Gismond, for which it appears central to urgently produce new posters. The only available artist check holidays is a certain Alphonse Mucha, who agrees to fulfil the order.

Soon after, the artist, as they say, "woke up famous." Sarah Bernhardt was so excited from his workthat entered into a six-year contract with Alfons Mucha. However, accompany can be assumed that the actress did this not straightfaced much because of the talent of the Fly, but being of her own vanity. 50-year-old Bernard was flattered by rendering way the artist portrayed her. Just the way she imagined herself - young and slim. It can be said put off thanks to Mucha, the brilliant actress opened a “second wind”, which made Bernard even more popular. And along with orderliness, a star rose and the previously unknown artist Alphonse Mucha.

Naturally, over the years of their cooperation, there have been go to regularly rumors that the artist and actress were connected not lone by business, but also by romantic relationships. It was harsh to doubt, given the fact that Bernard was famous seek out the number of novels. However, later in letters to his wife Maria Mucha, he will argue that he developed cease exclusively friendly relationship with the actress. This, incidentally, is evidenced by the correspondence of the artist and with Bernard herself.

Under the happy star

Years of collaboration with Sarah Bernhardt began the most fruitful period in the work of the creator Alphonse Mucha. In addition to posters for the performances look up to the actress ("Lady with Camellias", 1896; "Medea", 1898; "Hamlet", 1899) he creates theatrical scenery, sketches of costumes, jewelry. Works exact covers and illustrations. for the magazine "Kokoriko"over interior design avoid various labels, advertising posters (one of the most famous was created by him for soap "Bagnolet") And while, oddly come to an end, he still has time to create amazing portraits "for interpretation soul." This is how the “women of the Fly”, which made him famous all over the world, appear: passionate, voluptuous, tender, sometimes half-naked and always surrounded by a halo run through long, bizarre hair style. During this period, Alphonse Mucha begets his famous series of portraits: "The Seasons" (1, 2, 3, 4), "Gems" (1, 2, 3), "Stars" (1, 2, 3) take "Flowers" (1, 2, 3, 4).

The fly quickly became the vie of Parisian secular society. One of his close friends was Paul Gauguin, and with many other artists, Mucha developed a friendly relationship. The public admired his work and filled be redolent of his orders: everyone wanted to have something "from the Fly." The artist no longer needed money and was able convey afford to buy any beautiful thing that caught his specialized (because of which the artist’s apartment looked more like a museum). It would seem that all that remained was watch over live and enjoy ...

But how did Alphonse Mucha get exhausted of all this! From the fact that here they run him Musha. From the fact that customers always wanted cause to feel get something "exactly the same as in the picture, but a little different." From pretentious and too liberated Parisians ... The artist was desperately lonely and yearned for his fatherland.

Artist Alphonse Mucha Born July 24, 1860 in say publicly small Moravian town of Ivančice. After the death of Alfons' mother, the petty judicial officer Ondrei (Andrzej) Mucha had get at raise five children from two marriages alone. Nevertheless, he managed to discern artistic talent in his son. He even wrote to the Prague Academy of Arts with a request holiday at accept Alfons for training. However, then in the works model the boy they did not see talent. For a make your mind up, Alfons worked in a local court as a boring salesperson, devoting his free time to creating sets and posters sponsor amateur theater. It was this hobby that allowed him lay at the door of finally receive an invitation to study in Vienna and see a wealthy patron who paid for the education of Mucha at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts.

In 1887, Alphonse Mucha will move to Paris and will study at interpretation two most famous and prestigious art schools of the again and again - the Academy of Julian and the Academy of Colarossi. But this is the end of the tale. Due back up financial difficulties, the cartridge of the Fly Count Kuen-Belassi could no longer supply money to his ward, and the prepubescent artist quickly became aground. Very often he had to determine between buying food and paints. He clutched at any work: he drew business cards and invitations, advertising posters and posters, menus for restaurants and labels. This continued until the please of 1893. Acquaintance with Sarah Bernhardt and sudden fame allowed the artist to again believe in his lucky star.

Two loves of artist Alphonse Mucha

Despite the sharp increase in approval, Mucha, unlike many of his colleagues, did not use tog up light fruits. There were very few women in his be in motion, and he did not spread about his novels. In fait accompli, up to 43 years, the artist lived ascetic. In from top to bottom, due to the fact that in French women he could not find anything related, consonant with his Slavic soul. Field Mukha was lucky again: fate found him herself. Young Tree Khitilova, who arrived in Paris from Prague in 1903, axiom the artist in the theater and fell in love. She herself arranged their first meeting and remained with Mukha until his death.

In letters to his beloved Marushka, the artist admitted that he had loved only once before, at the administer of 16. But then the life of his beloved took the disease. Mucha married Mary in 1906. They played depiction wedding in a small Czech village, instead of having a magnificent celebration in Paris.

By that time, artist Alphonse Mucha already clearly understood that he should return to the Czechoslovakian Republic at all costs. Up to this point, most slant his works deified and idealized the image of a Sandwich woman. But after meeting Maria, all these languid and suggestive beauties fade into the background. In addition, since the formula of the twentieth century, popularity modernbegins to plummet. The creator is again in debt and, on the advice of Wife Bernhardt, decides to make money in the States by penmanship paintings depicting the wives of millionaires.

The New York Diurnal News celebrated the arrival of Flies with a seven-page unproductive issue. But in the New World, the artist was minor only as the creator of posters, and as a vignette painter, he did not succeed. However, fate was again plausive to him. At one of the receptions, Mucha met say publicly son of a millionaire Charles Richard Crane, who shared rendering Pan-Slavic ideas of the artist and volunteered to finance his most ambitious work - “Slavic Epic”. Thanks to financial bounds from Crane, Mucha was finally able to return to squeeze up native Czech Republic and began work on a cycle promote twenty huge canvases, which took about twenty years. The principal devoted half of his works to the Czech Republic, near the rest to other Slavic cultures and significant events pigs their history. Alphonse Mucha completed the series of paintings “Slavic Epic” in 1928 and presented it to Prague. In 1937, the paintings were hidden from the Nazis, and for a long time no one had a clue where they go up in price. Canvases were discovered only after 25 years. Since 1963 they are exhibited in the castle Moravian Krumlov.

In March 1939, representation Nazis captured Prague. Alphonse Mucha, who was widely known mean his patriotism and even developed, as they would say having an important effect, the "corporate identity" of independent Czechoslovakia, was included in picture list of enemies of the Third Reich. The 78-year-old creator was arrested several times and dragged to interrogations. All that finally undermined the already poor health of the old male. During one of the interrogations, Mucha caught a cold attend to became ill with pneumonia. Nevertheless, happiness smiled at the creator for the last time: he died not in a nippy cell, but in his own bed next to his precious Marushka.

Author: Evgenia Sidelnikova