Gismonda, Alphonse Mucha
Gismonda, Alphonse Mucha
Gismonda, a four-act play by French dramatist Victorien Sardou, was first shown in 1894 at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris. Sarah Bernhardt, depicted here, was both the director and actor. Reportedly, Bernhardt’s agent approached Lemercier printing works, and with a tight deadline and no other artists available, Mucha volunteered himself for the work and in less than two weeks the piece was complete. The size of the piece was nearly life-size (216 × 74.2 cm) and was vastly different to almost all work in Paris at that time, leading to a boom of interest from poster collectors. This showed Mucha to be not only an artist of great skill, but also showed the piece as one of the first in the style known as ‘Art Noveau’. The piece itself depicts Bernhardt, playing Gismonda, standing upright, dressed in long, flowing robes that drape off the edge of the page. On her head she wears a headdress of flowers, and in her hand she grasps a palm branch. The play itself was a biblical period piece, which included a procession to celebrate Palm Sunday, a Christian festival that falls before Easter. Additionally, the Palm was a strong symbol of victory and triumph in pre-Christian times. This demonstrates the rich language of symbology used in Mucha’s Posters, and the hidden dialogue he establishes between the audience and the subject. As important as the nature of the commission was the technology used to publish the artwork. Mucha’s pioneering use of lithograph technology set the bar in terms of what could be accomplished for poster art. Although lithography had previously fallen into disrepute amongst many French and international artists, Mucha’s work was a concerted effort in bringing lithography back into the public eye. This resulted in the effective popularisation of the technology for many artists of the time, as well as in future generations.
The incredible success of this poster was a catalyst for forming a lucrative, six-year
Gismonda, a four-act play by French dramatist Victorien Sardou, was first shown in 1894 at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris. Sarah Bernhardt, depicted here, was both the director and actor. Reportedly, Bernhardt’s agent approached Lemercier printing works, and with a tight deadline and no other artists available, Mucha volunteered himself for the work and in less than two weeks the piece was complete. The size of the piece was nearly life-size (216 × 74.2 cm) and was vastly different to almost all work in Paris at that time, leading to a boom of interest from poster collectors. This showed Mucha to be not only an artist of great skill, but also showed the piece as one of the first in the style known as ‘Art Noveau’. The piece itself depicts Bernhardt, playing Gismonda, standing upright, dressed in long, flowing robes that drape off the edge of the page. On her head she wears a headdress of flowers, and in her hand she grasps a palm branch. The play itself was a biblical period piece, which included a procession to celebrate Palm Sunday, a Christian festival that falls before Easter. Additionally, the Palm was a strong symbol of victory and triumph in pre-Christian times. This demonstrates the rich language of symbology used in Mucha’s Posters, and the hidden dialogue he establishes between the audience and the subject. As important as the nature of the commission was the technology used to publish the artwork. Mucha’s pioneering use of lithograph technology set the bar in terms of what could be accomplished for poster art. Although lithography had previously fallen into disrepute amongst many French and international artists, Mucha’s work was a concerted effort in bringing lithography back into the public eye. This resulted in the effective popularisation of the technology for many artists of the time, as well as in future generations.
The incredible success of this poster was a catalyst for forming a lucrative, six-year
Bibliography: Duncan, Alastair. (1994) Art Nouveau. World of Art. Gold, Laura. (1998) First Ladies of the Poster: The Gold Collection Posters Please Inc Rennert, Jack. (1990) Posters of the Belle Epoque; The Wine Spectator Collection The Wine Spectator Press Rubin, David S. (2010) Psychedelic: Optical and Visionary Art since the 1960s MIT Press http://www.muchafoundation.org/ [accessed 15.11] Johnston, Bylan http://records.viu.ca/~Johnstoi/praguepage/muchalecture.htm [accessed 21.11] Fraser, Julie. H. style2000.com. [accessed 21.11] http://www.codex99.com/design/85.html [accessed 23.11]