Alphonse Mucha: the Arts

Alphonse Mucha: the Arts

The Arts: Dance by Alphonse Mucha

Alphonse Mucha, as an artist, is one of the most influential and iconic.
“Alphonse Mucha (1860 – 1939) is considered one of the foremost art noveau artists of his time – And rightfully so.” (Connie Weng – 1896).
Alphonse Mucha
External lines combined with carefully composed thinner, internal detailed lines make the images stand out above anything of his time. His use of softly blended, smooth-textured colours gives his pieces a very gentle, graceful look and feel. The elegance and beauty displayed in his figures, composed by sinuous curves, add dynamicity and flow into the image. All this combined with Mucha’s imaginative backgrounds and borders are what build the very foundations for Mucha’s work, and much more Art Noveau work seen in later work by other artists hoping to become part of the Art Noveau movement. Mucha had an extensive career creating lithograph prints, from his first poster ‘Gismonda’ and his other posters for actress, Sarah Bernhardt, right through to his quadrilogies, ‘The Arts’, ‘Flowers’, ‘Times of Day’ and ‘Seasons’, as well as his many promotional pieces, like the JOB cigarette’s advert.

Of his many pieces, one which seems to be the most reminiscent of his brilliant work is ‘Dance’ part of his ‘The Arts’ collection. The balance and dexterity of the radiant, beautiful figure’s pose, combined with the dynamic flow of the cloth and the figure’s hair, make this piece elegant and soft, yet dynamic and eye-catching. Although the figure is clearly stood still and, surprisingly, keeping her balance upon her toes, the image holds an incredible amount of movement, despite it being a still image.
The Arts: Dance
By Alphonse Mucha
The familiar bold lines of the art Noveau style, still visible in this image, are less needed here than in other pieces due to the lack of a background and multiple layers. However, the lines are still there, a strong shell, holding the soft colours within them....

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