The artistic legacy of Alphonse Maria Mucha (1860–1939), one of the founders of the Art Nouveau style, is both brilliant and bewilderingly diverse. Mucha is most famous for his Sarah Bernhardt posters and his magnificent decorative panels such as "The Seasons," works that continue to grow in popularity, despite the indifferent quality of most modern reproductions. To graphic artists and commercial designers, Mucha is praised for the innovative stylebooks that pioneered the use of Art Nouveau in commercial packaging, design, and ornament. But the primary element in all of Mucha's artistic endeavors — his evocative, highly original draftsmanship — has never been adequately surveyed. This collection of 70 high-quality illustrations — six in black-and-white and nine in full color — offers the first and only comprehensive survey of Mucha's drawings, and as such, provides a unique insight into the aesthetic qualities that were fundamental to all of the artist's work. Reproduced directly from his original drawings, these works span Mucha's entire career and include sketches for his famous book and magazine illustrations, preliminary sketches for paintings, advertising and packaging art, studies for stylebooks, etc. Famous examples include "The Seasons," full-color drawings for the complete set, plus a preliminary charcoal sketch for "Autumn"; St. Louis World's Fair poster, full-color lithograph and preliminary pencil sketch; Sarah Bernhardt, four works in India ink, pencil, etc.; and "Documents décoratifs" and "Figures décoratives," studies from Mucha's two innovative stylebooks. Naturally, many of these drawing are interesting because they reveal the initial thoughts for famous works but most basically these drawings show that Mucha's draftsmanship — highly admired, even by the cantankerous Whistler — was the brilliant underpinning of his entire craft.

Drawings of Mucha: 70 Works by Alphonse Maria Mucha Including 9 in Full Color

Arts & Photography

MUCHA, Alphonse

Individual Artists

Dover Publications

To the general public, Alphonse Maria Mucha (1860–1939) is perhaps best known for his posters of Sarah Bernhardt and magnificent decorative panels such as "The Seasons" — works that continue to grow in popularity and value as the resurgence of interest in Art Nouveau increases. Among graphic artists and commercial designers, Mucha is praised for the innovative style books that pioneered the use of Art Nouveau in commercial packaging, design, and ornament. The most important of these style books was Documents Décoratifs, published in 1901 at the height of Mucha's fame as the high priest of the Art Nouveau movement. While the artist's fame rests largely on his posters, it is in the smaller works of the style books, or design portfolios, that the refinement of his technique can best be appreciated. The present volume, carefully reproduced from an extremely rare and valuable set of originals, contains all 72 plates of the Documents Décoratifs portfolio. Included are designs for jewelry, wallpaper, stained glass, furniture, and tableware; figure and botanical studies; and a selection of Mucha's famous panneaux décoratifs. Eighteen of the plates are in full color, while the remaining 54 are reproduced in two or more color tones. In addition to numerous innovative designs for practical and decorative objects, the elegant draftsmanship and meticulous execution that characterized all of Mucha's work is evident in studies of langorous nudes, portrait sketches, delicately rendered plant and animal motifs, exquisite modeling of drapery and cloth, and the flowing, fantastic forms created as experiments in pure design. In the Foreword by Gabriel Mourey, specially translated for this edition, Mucha's own philosophy of art, and the relation of the Documents to the rest of his work, receive an appreciative and informative discussion. Hitherto available only in scattered sources, or in the libraries of wealthy collectors, the complete Documents Décoratifs is now available in this inexpensive one-volume edition. Lovers of Mucha's work, admirers of Art Nouveau, and the application of that style to the decorative arts, will want to own this fine royalty-free collection by one of the greatest masters of the technique. "[Documents Décoratifs is] . . . an encyclopedic source for Mucha's style in every branch of decorative and applied art and one of the few books on design where even individual plates are sought after by collectors." — Marina Henderson, The Graphic Style of Alphonse Mucha

The Art Nouveau Style Book of Alphonse Mucha (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)

History & Criticism

To many, Alphonse Maria Mucha (1860–1939) is best known for his beautiful bell époque posters and magnificent decorative panels. His distinctive graphic approach to the 1895 poster advertising Sarah Bernhardt's performance in Gismonda captured the Parisian public's imagination and catapulted the artist into overnight success. During the next ten years he became the high priest of Art Nouveau, publishing several stylebooks which were to have a lasting influence on 20th-century art and design. Figures decoratives, originally published in 1905, is a landmark book of the Art Nouveau movement and perhaps best exemplifies Mucha's artistic product in the years 1895–1905, the decade that made him famous. Mucha's purity of line and beauty of proportion take their inspiration from nature. But more than nature's imitator, he was its interpreter, translating its rhythms and designs into works that exude an indefinable charm. His unique approach combined originality of invention with spontaneous energy supported by flawless draftsmanship. This new edition of Figures decoratives carefully reproduces all forty of the original two-color plates from a rare first edition now valued at several thousand dollars. Comprised of finished pen, pencil, charcoal, and chalk, this volume represents the essence of Mucha's genius and documents the subtle shadings and linear excellence that characterized his masterful illustrations. Placed in rectangles, triangles, stars, circles, and a number of irregular geometric forms are figures of women, young girls, and children of both sexes. The harmony between the movement of head, limbs, and drapery and the sense of balance in each pose are the result of Mucha's instinct for composition, gift for ornamentation, and profound knowledge of his craft. Mucha's hand and eye are clearly evident in all his work though one can see other artistic influences which shaped the artist's development, including Gauguin's cloissonnism, Horta's and Van de Velde's kinetic treatment of curvilinear design, as well as the linear conventions of Moorish architecture and Islamic ornamentation. Yet Mucha himself believed that he owed his greatest artistic debt to the folk art traditions of his native Moravia.

Mucha's Figures Decoratives

A collection of posters by the popular art nouveau painter includes portrayals of the noted American actress Sarah Bernhardt and reveals his distinctive depictions of women and flowers

Posters of Mucha

Harmony

Alphonse Mucha (Czech, 18601939) became an overnight sensation in 1894 when his poster for actress Sarah Bernhardts Gismonda hit the streets of Paris. His poster, revolutionary in its use of pastels, its narrow shape, and the halo effect around his subjects head, was so popular that collectors bribed bill stickers for them. Mucha went on to produce color lithographs featuring beautiful young women for calendars, postcards, theater programs, menus, and more in Mucha style, later known as art nouveau.

2017 Alphonse Mucha Wall Calendar

Pomegranate

New with pristine dust cover, protected with Mylar, pages unmarked, binding tight. Unread new condition.

Lectures on art: A supplement to The graphic work of Alphonse Mucha

Academy Editions Ltd (a divisi

Inside these pages, you'll find over 30 beautiful monchrome prints by Art Nouveau master, Alphonse Mucha. The pictures were hand selected and edited for maximum coloring enjoyment.There's no right or wrong to way to color, so grab your pencils and take a trip through time. Each coloring page is one sided for easy removal and display.

Alphonse Mucha's Art Nouveau: A Vintage Coloring Book -Volume 1-

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Press, Sharpshin

Crafts & Hobbies

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Alphonse Mucha Coloring Book for Adults: 23 Masterworks to Color (Color the Classics: An Adult Coloring Book Series)

BOOKS, NO-BRAINER

Drawing

Independently published

Le PATER: With translations into English, German, and Italian (French Edition)

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