Thursday, 7 February 2013

Alphonse Mucha

Alphonse Mucha


Alphonse Maria Mucha was born in the town of IvanĨice, Moravia (the present Czech Republic) in 1860.



After working in Vienna as a theatre set painter, Mucha studied art in Munich and then Paris where he gained recognition as an illustrator.



In 1895 Mucha is commissioned by Champenois to create a set of decorative panels on the subject of the seasons.



Around this time, Mucha is also commissioned to design a poster for one of France's most popular brands of cigarettes.



A poster artwork from one of Mucha's solo exhibitions at the Salon Des Cent.




The Muchas holiday in Rosice, South Moravia, where Alphonse makes his earliest sketches for the Slav Epic.




During his lifetime, Mucha produced a flurry of paintings, posters, advertisements and book illustrations, as well as designs for jewellery, carpets, wallpaper, and theatre sets in what was termed initially The Mucha Style but became known as Art Nouveau (French for "new art"). 




My love of Alphonse Mucha's art inspired me to include his images in my latest jewellery collections, which can be found her via these links: