The Seasons - Alphonse Mucha Poster.

Alphonse Mucha Biography

• Born on July 24, 1860 in Ivančice, Czech Republic (then Moravia, part of the Austrian Empire).
• In 1879, he moved to Vienna, where he worked as an apprentice to a stage scenery painter while studying painting at night school.
• In 1885, he entered the Munich Academy of Fine Arts.
• In 1887, he moved to Paris and studied at the Academie Julian.
• In 1894, a poster for the play "Gismonda" starring the actress Sarah Bernhardt became a huge hit and brought her instant fame.
• At the 1900 Paris Universal Exhibition, he was in charge of decorating the Bosnia and Herzegovina Pavilion, which won the Grand Prix.
• In 1910, he returned to his native Czech Republic, and in his later years he devoted himself to the creation of the Slavic epic.
• Died on July 14, 1939, during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia (aged 78)

Masterpiece

• Poster for "Gismonda" (1894)
• Zodiac (1896)
• The Seasons (1896)
• Feathers (1899)
• The Slav Epic (1910-1928)

Mucha achieved great success as a poster artist and made a major contribution to the worldwide popularity of the Art Nouveau style. His works are characterized by graceful female figures, gorgeous decorations, and plant motifs, and he demonstrated his talent in a wide range of fields, including posters, calendars, decorative panels, book illustrations, jewelry, and stage art .

In particular, the poster for the play "Gismonda," starring Sarah Bernhardt, is one of Mucha's masterpieces and is highly regarded as a symbol of the Art Nouveau style.

Mucha worked beyond the boundaries between commercial art and fine art, and his works continue to be loved by many people across the ages.