Journal #5: Art Nouveau and The Genesis of Twentieth-Century Design

Czech born artist, Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), was drastically important to the art nouveau style in France. Mucha moved to Paris at age 27, where he rose to fame after printing a poster for a play on New Year’s Day. One of his most famous projects was his women project, his women that he drew had no nationally, age, or period attached to them. The Victorians rejected the art, and called the hair he drew too look like, “noodles and spaghetti.” Ironically, the hair he drew became a hallmark image for the Victorian Era. When Czechoslovakia became independent in 1917, Mucha returned home and his work became influenced by the history of his people. He died a few months after being arrested and interrogated by Gestapo in 1939 when Germany partitioned Czechoslovakia