The Seasons (Mucha)
| The Seasons | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Alphonse Mucha |
| Year | 1896, 1897, 1900 |
| Medium | Color lithograph |
The Seasons or Four Seasons is the name of three different color lithograph series produced by Czech visual artist Alphonse Mucha. They were produced in 1896, 1897, and 1900.
Background
[edit]In 1895, Mucha produced the poster for Gismonda, a play starring Sarah Bernhardt. Bernhardt highly admired Mucha's work, commissioning a six-year contract with him.[1] The style employed in Gismonda, le style Mucha, became a sensation in Paris and became known as the Art Nouveau movement.[2]
Following Gismonda, Mucha attained an influx of work. He was shortly thereafter commissioned by F. Champenois, a wealthy patron and Paris-based printer.[1] While working with Champenois, Mucha created decorative panels, or posters with text that were solely for decoration.[3] These panels were published in large print runs.
Composition and prints
[edit]Mucha's Seasons series were emblematic of his graphic works, which featured strong centered compositions and idealized and allegorical female figures in sensuous or provocative poses.[4][5] Mucha's panels also bear some resemblance to Japanese woodcuts. Indeed, Mucha was influenced by Japanese art, like many other 19th- and 20th-century European artists.[6]
The female figures in Mucha's works were "entwined in vaporous hair and light dresses inspired by nature, such as willowy foliage," as well as adorned in extravagant jewels.[4][5] Mucha fills the background of these pieces with floral or abstract patterns.[4] Natural colors and gold also help accentuate the pieces, while functional and decorative friezes often frame Mucha's illustrations.[4] The prints of his Four Seasons series would become scarce.[7]
1896 series
[edit]The Seasons, published in 1896, served as the first series Mucha produced during his time with Champenois.[1] The Seasons depicted four different women in floral settings representing the seasons of the year: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn.[8] Each panel was sized 103 by 54 centimetres (41 in × 21 in).[9]
Each of the seasons has a characteristic flair to their allegorical depictions. Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter are portrayed as innocent, sultry, fruitful, and frosty, respectively.[10]
Summer is adorned with red poppies in her hair, the figure is seen leaning on a grapevine and bathing her feet in shallow water. Autumn is depicted as a wearing a wreath of chrysanthemums in her brunette hair. She is also seen gathering grapes from a vine. Mucha represents Spring as a blonde figure in a translucent white dress standing under a tree and holding a lyre. Meanwhile, Winter is depicted as a figure draped in a pale green cape and sheltering from the cold, standing next to a snow-capped bush.
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Spring (1896) -
Summer (1896) -
Autumn (1896) -
Winter (1896)
1897 and 1900 series
[edit]Due to the success of the 1896 series, Champenois asked Mucha to design two more sets based on the seasonal theme in 1897 and 1900.[1][11] Designs for another two sets also exist.[1]
The 1897 series of color lithographs on paper featured 15 by 43 centimetres (5.9 in × 16.9 in) panels and is located at the Art Institute of Chicago.[12]
The 1900 series also features color lithographs, this time sized 54.29 by 75.88 centimetres (21.37 in × 29.87 in).[13] The 1900 series is located at the Victoria & Albert Museum.[13]
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Spring (1897) -
Summer (1897) -
Autumn (1897) -
Winter (1897)
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Spring (1900) -
Summer (1900) -
Autumn (1900) -
Winter (1900)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Daily art story: Mucha's Seasons". Museums of the World. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ "Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau Visionary". North Carolina Museum of Art. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Kern 1980, p. 72.
- ^ a b c d "Four Seasons MUCHA, Alphonse". Web Gallery of Art. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ a b Ulmer 1994, p. 12–13.
- ^ Ulmer 1994, p. 9.
- ^ Rogers 1899, p. 58.
- ^ "The Seasons (series) (1896)". Mucha Foundation. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Tsaneva, Maria (14 January 2014). Alfons Mucha: 131 Posters and Paintings. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781304804686. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Wilson, Anne (5 June 2013). "Distinguished Collection of Alphonse Mucha Lithographs on Offer at Bonhams New York". Art Fix Daily. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ "The Seasons (series) (1900)". Mucha Foundation. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ "The Seasons". Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ a b "The Seasons". Victoria & Albert Museum. 30 June 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- Sources
- Kern, David M. H., ed. (October 1980). The Art Nouveau Style Book of Alphonse Mucha. Dover Publications. ISBN 9780486240442. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- Rogers, W. S. (October 1899). Hiatt, Charles; Woestyn, H.-R; MacLaey, Hugh (eds.). The Poster and Art Collector. Vol. 3. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- Ulmer, Renate (1994). Alfons Mucha. Taschen. ISBN 9783822885741.
Further reading
[edit]- Mucha, Jiří (1989). "Alphonse Maria Mucha: His Life and Art". Random House. pp. 107, 121–122. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- Sato, Tomoko (2016). Alphonse Mucha. Skira. ISBN 9788857232430.
- Warren, Richard; Fögen, Thorsten, eds. (24 May 2016). Graeco-Roman Antiquity and the Idea of Nationalism in the 19th Century. De Gruyter. p. 244. ISBN 9783110473490. Retrieved 27 September 2022.