A man of innovation, style, and creator of labyrinthine masterpieces in all media, Alphonse Mucha is often named the greatest and most influential Czech artists. As one of the fathers of Art Nouveau, Mucha developed a reputation with his posters, architecture, jewelry and sculpture that had never been seen before; a complex weaving of lines and pastel colors featuring voluptuous women and a harmony that can only be described as: Mucha style. His graphic designs and posters often hold the limelight of Mucha’s ability, but the complexity of his imagination and inspiration show another deep dimension behind the man, his visions, and his beliefs in art, as well as the world.
To begin to know the artist, one must start at the artist’s beginning. Mucha was born in 1860 and raised in a Moravian village in Ivančice (Chilvers, 390). His family was at the bottom of respectability due to his father’s position as a court usher. Mucha was familiar with poverty and suffering, and saw it at a daily basis because his family lived in the same building as the local jail. He also saw the loss of three of his siblings to tuberculosis. Mucha was raised in a highly religious household and often found solace in the church; spending hours knelt in front of a crucifixion to absorb the chanting and the atmosphere of the Catholic mass. (Mataev)
The town of Ivančice was strong in its Czech culture, pure patriotism tried to preserve it from the German oppression and authority that was rampant due to the Hapsburg rule. The town tried to keep the Czech language as the prominent dialect, preserve the enchanting folk tales, and the highly botanical adorned cottages from being erased and replaced by the German culture. This patriotism ran in Mucha’s blood, hi...
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Works Cited
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Two of the most extensively analyzed works of art are Diego Velasquez's Las Meninas and Jan Van Eyck's Arnolfini Double Portrait. Both of these artist's talent won them recognition not only during their lifetime but after as well. Both Velasquez and Van Eyck have a justly earned title as the most talented artists of their respective times. A detailed examination of the details and intricacies of these artist's respective masterpieces, their similarities, and what sets them apart not just from each other but from other paintings from their time period and style, will lead the viewer to a better understanding of the mentalities of these gifted artists and how they transcend their respective genres and contemporaries to create their own artistic identities.
Starting with a brief introduction about our artist, Norval Morrisseau; he is an Aboriginal Canadian who lived from 1931 to 2007, and had been raised by his maternal grandparents. They were Christian devoted, who taught Morrisseau the religion's dogma. Morrisseau
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