Alphonse Mucha

Alfons Maria Mucha, more widely as as Alphonse Mucha, was born in 1860 and was a Czech Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist. He produced many paintings, illustrations, advertisements, postcards, and designs. Mucha moved to Paris in 1887, and continued his studies at Académie Julian and Académie Colarossi and 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). His works frequently featured beautiful young women in flowing, vaguely Neoclassical-looking robes, often surrounded by lush flowers which sometimes formed halos behind their heads. In contrast with contemporary poster makers he used pale pastel colours. His style was given international exposure by the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris. 

A truly magnificent collection of his work is available here beautifully reproduced at World of Art

 

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