This images was a poster that Mucha made to advertise a play. This was the image that catapulted him into fame. The woman in the poster is a french actress called Sarah Bernhardt.
Q Bajac et al. sum up her effect on Mucha perfectly; "Her extraordinary personality had the effect of maturing the artist's style remarkably, as until he produced rather academic, conventional works. Mucha became successful because he was able to project how Bernhardt wished to be perceived." Reference in comments.
Bajac, Q., Bruson, J.-M., Mucha, G., & Rennert, J. (1998). Alphonse Mucha: The Spirit of Art Nouveu. Hong Kong: South China Printing Company Ltd.
ReplyDeleteHi Megan,
ReplyDeleteBecause this assignment is supposed to be focusing on "content", I want to know what you think this poster represents. Is it merely an advertisement? Is Bernhardt Mucha's archetypal woman or archetypal muse? Does she represent someone from mythology, and if so, what is the story and what does it represent? What is she holding? What does it symbolise? Etc...
TX