EPOPEYA :: Christa Zaat

Christa Zaat



Alphonse Maria Mucha (Czech painter) 1860 - 1939
Plakát na výstavu Slovanské epopeje v Brně v roce (Poster for 'The Slav Epic Exhibition, Brno, 1930', 1928-30
oil on canvas
82 x 65 cm.
Mucha Museum, Prague, Czech Republic

This poster advertised the first of Mucha's exhibitions of the Slav Epic cycle which was held at the Trade Fair Palace in Prague in the autumn of 1928, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of Czechoslovakia, and in Brno in 1930.

His daughter, Jaroslava, served as the model for the poster, in a pose taken from one of the Slav Epic canvases: The Oath of Omladina under the Slavic Linden Tree.

The mythical figure in the background is Svantovit, the pagan Czech god of destiny, each of whose four faces oversaw the universe from a different direction. He carries two of his emblems - the sword and the drinking horn.

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Born in Ivancice, Moravia near the city of Brno in the modern day Czech Republic, Alfons Mucha began his artistic training taking drawing lessons at the Academy of Visual Arts in Prague and continued his studies in Munich. In 1890, the young artist moved on to Paris and enrolled in the Academie Julien where he was the student of J. P. Laurens, Gustave Boulanger and Lefebvre.

While in Paris, Mucha began to draw illustrations for books and magazines. In 1894, almost overnight, based on a poster he designed for a play starring Sarah Bernhardt, Gismonda, he became a success. Although widely regarded as one of the premier artists of the Art Nouveau period, Mucha shared much in philosophy and artistic temperament with the artists of the Symbolist movement. The composition of his posters was influenced by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Carlos Scwabe and the atmosphere surrounding the Salons de la Rose + Croix as well as by Byzantine and Japanese art. Although most renowned for his poster designs, the artist himself set more store by his other projects. In 1898-1899, he did a series of illustrations for The Lord's Prayer adding personal comments which echoed those of the founder of the Rose + Croix, Joseph Peladan. The crowning achievement of his career was the monumental series, The Slav Epic; twenty huge canvases that marked his return to the history painting of his youth.