The Art Nouveau Style Book of Alphonse Mucha (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)

To most of the people, Alphonse Maria Mucha (1860–1939) is in all probability absolute best identified for his posters of Sarah Bernhardt and sumptuous ornamental panels reminiscent of “The Seasons” — works that keep growing in recognition and price because the resurgence of pastime in Artwork Nouveau will increase. Amongst Photograph artists and business designers, Mucha is praised for the cutting edge Taste books that pioneered using Artwork Nouveau in business packaging, layout, and decoration.
The so much essential of those Taste books was once Documents Décoratifs, printed in 1901 on the top of Mucha’s popularity because the top priest of the Artwork Nouveau motion. Even as the artist’s popularity rests in large part on his posters, it’s Within the smaller works of the manner books, or layout portfolios, that the refinement of his methodology can absolute best be liked. The prevailing quantity, moderately reproduced from a particularly uncommon and useful set of originals, comprises all 72 plates of the Documents Décoratifs portfolio. Incorporated are designs for jewellery, wallpaper, stained glass, furnishings, and tableware; determine and botanical research; and a collection of Mucha’s well-known panneaux décoratifs. Eighteen of the plates are in complete colour, Even as the rest 54 are reproduced in or extra colour tones.
In addition to a large number of cutting edge designs for sensible and ornamental gadgets, the chic draftsmanship and meticulous execution that characterised all of Mucha’s paintings is obvious in research of langorous nudes, portrait sketches, delicately rendered plant and animal motifs, beautiful modeling of material and fabric, and the flowing, implausible paperwork created as experiments in natural layout. Within the Foreword via Gabriel Mourey, especially translated for this version, Mucha’s personal philosophy of Artwork, and the relation of the Documents to the remainder of his paintings, obtain an appreciative and informative dialogue.
Hitherto to be had handiest in scattered assets, or Within the libraries of rich creditors, the entire Documents Décoratifs is now to be had on this reasonably priced one-quantity version. Fans of Mucha’s paintings, admirers of Artwork Nouveau, and the applying of that Taste to the ornamental arts, will need to personal this fantastic royalty-unfastened assortment via probably the most largest masters of the methodology.
“[Documents Décoratifs is] . . . an encyclopedic supply for Mucha’s Taste in each and every department of ornamental and implemented Artwork and probably the most few books on layout the place even person plates are wanted via creditors.” — Marina Henderson, The Photograph Taste of Alphonse Mucha