The international style - Alphonse Mucha.

Coming from the Czech republic, Alphonse Mucha was an artist who specialised in an art nouveau style. Mucha's works frequently featured beautiful young female figures in flowing, robes, often surrounded by pretty flowers and elaborate geometic designs that sometimes formed halos behind their heads. I really like the work of Mucha, because of his use of pastel colours and the realism he manages to give to his figures without losing his sense of style. The Mucha style was spread internationally in the 1900 exhibition.

One of the major formal inspirations for art nouveau was the idea of using nature as inspiration for design. Using flowing lines and very natural shapes. Mucha believed very much in carrying on the artistic traditions of his ancestors, his commitment to his culture is something I admire because I’ve developed my own sense of national pride as I’ve developed a deeper interest of British history.

His belief that we should take the time to look back on the old as well as move forward into the new is also a refreshing idea, it gives us an opportunity to learn from history's mistakes (and to make the same ones if it pleases us!)

I hope someday to help move British art and storytelling forward, by documenting the past and studying the history of each of the home nations and Mucha helps me feel very strong about it and more determined to one day achieve it. I should probably start by working harder.

Mucha also hated to be regarded as a Frenchman, a pain I’m sure we can all empathise with. He also hated the way Czech art was becoming more German and spent a lot of time and energy getting it back to it’s roots, making himself a defender of what it meant to be Czech in Chezh culture.

 Good show, what, what.

http://records.viu.ca/~Johnstoi/praguepage/muchalecture.htm