Much About Mucha

During the Art Nouveau time period, Czechoslovakian artist Alphonse Mucha was considered the “father” of this time period. At this point in time, this “new style” of art and architecture became popular at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The art style was most noted for it’s organic, free-flowing, curvilinear forms. After Alphonse took it upon himself to make an advertisement for the debuting play Gismonda, in Paris, his art style became the talk of the town. Thus being the reason why “Art Nouveau” was nicknamed “Style Mucha”. The art style was very popular around Europe and eventually branched into many different areas of the world.

Mucha’s works were seen in advertisements, books, jewelry, wallpapers, etc. Most of his works focused around beautiful, idealized women who often had long-flowing hair and clothing. The colors he used often consisted of pastels and organic, floral values. For as long as Mucha’s style and popularity set the world on fire, it was later put it out to rest. When Alphonse Mucha died in 1939, due to pneumonia, his style was considered “outdated”. Twenty years later, Art Nouveau appeared to have risen from the dead because it found itself plastered on many psychedelic posters and music albums for music artists like Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, and the Incredible String Band. British musician and Stuckist artist, Paul Harvey, was greatly influenced by Mucha as well. Stuckism is an art movement that promotes “figurative paintings in opposition to conceptual art.” You can definitely see a Mucha influence in some of Harvey’s works.