Art Nouveau : Alphonse Mucha

Art Nouveau was a movement which transformed decorative arts and architecture. During this period artists were inspired from natural organic stuff, angular contours and elegant flowing designs.

The Czech painter & graphic artist, Alphonse Mucha managed to break the wall between art & design to merge them as one . He was inspired from the earlier movement Symbolism, and influenced several other artists.

          Study Of 'Dance'                                              Dance (1898)          
                                                                                                                                                                   

The focal point is the women’s figure which is clearly shown by the use of a circular motif frame behind the figure. The repetitive use of Celtic motifs are eye catching. Mucha enriches the lithograph by using flowers as a decorative purpose.

Mucha used pale pastelish colours so there isn’t that much of contrast in the painting, therefore he used thin lines at the focal point while thicker lines were used further away to make a contrasting effect. This technique is also used in the hair to create a certain sense of texture.

The posture gives an elegant and dramatic feel. Mucha managed to capture the movement as stated in the title itself ‘Dance’ by hair and light flowing drapery.

References:

• ·        Art Nouveau Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. 2013. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-art-nouveau.htm. [Accessed October 2013].
• ·       History of Art: Art Nouveau - Alphonse Mucha. 2013. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.all-art.org/symbolism/mucha1.html. [Accessed October 2013].
• ·      MUCHA, Alfons (Alphonse) MUCHA biography by senses-artnouveau.com. 2013.  [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.senses-artnouveau.com/biography.php?artist=MUC. [Accessed October 2013].