Artist 11/20: Alphonse Mucha

Now this artist, I knew I liked for a very long time. His style is so distinct that no one can make anything similar without being referenced to him. I would intermittently come across his works but never knew his name. This is Alphonse Mucha.

He is often referred to as the accidental father of the Nouveau. Having moved to Paris he accepted a last minute commission to design a theatre poster for a local play. His innovative style was an immediate success amongst the Parisians and soon he was in the highest of popular demand. During the movement (1890-1905) Art Nouveau permeated from painting into sculpture, architecture, furniture, jewelry, calligraphy and even works of glass by the famous Louis Comfort Tiffany whom we've covered before.

Mucha's style is indicative by the use of thick outlines surrounding his subjects. This could be likened to the lines used by Sandro Boticelli but Mucha's lines were so thick it almost appeared like a stained glass window with areas being highly detailed and others being nearly monochromatic. I've done a bit of research on Mucha before as it was his style that specifically inspired the Disney film Enchanted staring Amy Adams as the princess parody, Giselle.

 Upon examination, one can see that her dress is identical to that worn in a poster advertising Moet & Chandon White Star, a brand of French Champagne painted in 1899. While obviously Giselle's facial features depended heavily on those of Amy Adams, the actress herself can be compared to the type of woman Alphonse Mucha seemed so keen on painting. Being primarily restricted to the female form, his subjects were often women of literature, goddesses or the physical embodiments of art and virtues much in the same way Giselle embodies the essence of a Disney Princess.

Sunday, November 14, 2010 by Amidanah Rohmah · 0