Alfons Mucha

Czechoslovakian painter and decorative artist. His Czech name is Mucha. He was born in Ivančice, Moravia. After failing the entrance exam for the Prague Academy of Fine Arts, he went to Vienna to work in a stage design studio. He was recognized by Count Kuhen-Belassy and studied in Munich, and in 1888 he moved to Paris to study at the Academie Julian and other institutions. When his financial support was cut off in the 1890s, he found a way to support himself through illustrations. At the end of 1894, he had the good fortune of creating a poster for actress Sarah Bernhardt, which became a huge hit and brought him instant fame. The gorgeous Mucha-style poster of flowers and women, created during the six years of his contract with Sarah, became synonymous with Art Nouveau. After 1904, he traveled to the United States several times, where he worked and taught. He returned to his homeland in 1910 and completed his masterpiece, "The Slav Epic," over the course of 1918. He designed the national emblem, stamps, and banknotes, as well as the stained glass windows of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, and passed away in Prague, the capital of his home country, which he loved all his life.

[Yasuko Hamada]

"The World of Art Nouveau 1: Mucha and Paris" edited by Kimio Nakayama et al. (1987, Gakken)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

チェコスロバキアの画家、装飾画家。チェコ語読みはムハ。モラビアのイバンチッツェ生まれ。プラハの美術学校の入試に失敗、ウィーンに出て舞台美術工房で働く。その後クーエン・ベラシ伯爵に認められミュンヘンで修業、1888年からパリに移りアカデミー・ジュリアンなどで学んだ。その経済援助が打ち切られた1890年代から自活の道を挿絵にみいだす。また、1894年の暮れ、図らずも女優サラ・ベルナールのポスターを制作する幸運を得、大ヒットして一躍名声を博す。サラとの契約6年間に生まれたポスター、花と女の華麗なミュシャ様式は、アール・ヌーボーの代名詞になった。1904年以後、何回かアメリカに行き、制作し教鞭(きょうべん)もとる。1910年から祖国に帰り、1918年の歳月をかけた絵画の大作『スラブ叙事詩』を完成。国章・切手・紙幣のデザイン、プラハの聖ビート大聖堂のステンドグラスなどを手がけ、終生愛した祖国の首都プラハで没した。

［浜田靖子］

『中山公男他編『アール・ヌーヴォーの世界1　ミュシャとパリ』（1987・学習研究社）』

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