Alphonse 
Mucha's son Jiří (1915-1991), who wrote one of the best books on the artist, went before the camera in 1975 to share his recollections. He leafs through old prints and portfolios and tours the family home in Prague.About 14 minutes into the video, he talks about the reference photographs that he discovered among his father's things. The photos were especially helpful for drapery. Mucha would not copy the photograph, Jiri says, instead he would just use it as inspiration. (Link to video)
He says that his father put the idea of the perfect women on such a high pedestal that he was aloof and even disdainful around his actual models. When his father was about 13, he fell in love with a girl his age, who died. Forever afterward, he cherished that childlike feminine ideal, and tried to recapture it in his work.
Another video that's well worth seeing is the slide lecture on Mucha given by Felicia Zavarella Stadelman. The vivid stories she tells brings the artist to life. (Link to video)
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Alphonse Maria Mucha by Jiri Mucha (1989-03-15)
Previous posts on Mucha
5 comments:
Thanks for the great article James! I am a huge fan of Alphonse Mucha.
Wow, thank you for posting, Jim. This is a true Gem. I am reading the book by Jiri At the moment.
Dear Sir,
I am a regular viewer of your YouTube channel and a reader of your blog. The Knowledge you share through YouTube videos and blog articles are profoundly helpful to clear the basic concepts and contemporary changes as well in the field of painting in the Western world; especially for artists, students of fine art /commercial art which are living outside Western world.
I am an admirer of your Plein Air paintings, Dinotopia illustrations, and the way you picturize and paint YouTube videos and write articles on Blog.
The effect of light, use of color and painting style mesmerizes- makes indirectly a viewer to study a particular effect in a painting. May it be in videos like “Lobster Wharf, Painted in Gouache”, “Cowboys, Tractors and Robots” or “Plein Air Painting in New York City”
I have some queries based on the concept of using a pair of three primary colors one warmer and one cooler.
It would be of great help if you clear some of my doubts regarding color theory artist use to paint with physical tube colors and not RGB or CMYK system. Doubts are as follows:
A) Concepts those are clear to me
1) The Yellow which has Blue bias is cooler the Yellow which has Red bias is warmer
2) The Red which has Blue bias is cooler the Red which has Yellow bias is warmer
B) Queries
1) Which Blue is warmer/ cooler? Blue has Red/Violet bias is warmer or cooler. Blue has Yellow/Green bias is warmer or cooler because whether Yellow bias or Red bias both bias are of warm color.
2) Which is the warmest color on color wheel of tube colors Warm Yellow or Orange?
3) Is Blue the coolest color?
4) Which one is the warmest color among warm Green and warm Violet/Magenta?
5) Is there possibility of one pure primary color which neither has warmer or cooler bias?
There are some videos already available on “Color Theory” but I request you to publish a tutorial video on “Color Theory” focused on color bias in depth.
Best wishes.
Tasteful man!
Wonderful! James are you aware of this edition of Le Pater? I backed it and am looking forward to it. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/centuryguild/alphonse-mucha-reprinting-a-lost-art-nouveau-maste
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