Slavic Themes in the Art of Alphonse Mucha

This book investigates the lesser known aspect of the art produced by Alphonse Mucha, namely the Slavic themes in his art, present throughout his career. Due to the great popularity of Mucha's Art Nouveau posters, panels and book illustrations, other aspects of his art remained neglected. Therefore, the purpose of this book is to recognise the part of Mucha's oeuvre, which he considered as his most significant artistic and personal achievement. The book considers Mucha's interpretation and representation of themes inspired by the history of his own people, the Czechs and those of other Slavs. To analyse Mucha's Slavic themes requires an investigation into his role as a history painter. While the primary focus of this book is the analysis of Mucha's life-long devotion to Slavic themes, this aspect of his art is also examined in relation to the Art Nouveau and Symbolist artistic milieux to which he belonged in Paris.