The Art Nouveau Style Book of Alphonse Mucha (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)
$9.99
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To the general public, Alphonse Maria Mucha (1860–1939) is perhaps best known for his posters of Sarah Bernhardt and magnificent decorative panels such as “The Seasons” — works that continue to grow in popularity and value as the resurgence of interest in Art Nouveau increases. Among graphic artists and commercial designers, Mucha is praised for the innovative style books that pioneered the use of Art Nouveau in commercial packaging, design, and ornament.
The most important of these style books was Documents Décoratifs, published in 1901 at the height of Mucha’s fame as the high priest of the Art Nouveau movement. While the artist’s fame rests largely on his posters, it is in the smaller works of the style books, or design portfolios, that the refinement of his technique can best be appreciated. The present volume, carefully reproduced from an extremely rare and valuable set of originals, contains all 72 plates of the Documents Décoratifs portfolio. Included are designs for jewelry, wallpaper, stained glass, furniture, and tableware; figure and botanical studies; and a selection of Mucha’s famous panneaux décoratifs. Eighteen of the plates are in full color, while the remaining 54 are reproduced in two or more color tones.
In addition to numerous innovative designs for practical and decorative objects, the elegant draftsmanship and meticulous execution that characterized all of Mucha’s work is evident in studies of langorous nudes, portrait sketches, delicately rendered plant and animal motifs, exquisite modeling of drapery and cloth, and the flowing, fantastic forms created as experiments in pure design. In the Foreword by Gabriel Mourey, specially translated for this edition, Mucha’s own philosophy of art, and the relation of the Documents to the rest of his work, receive an appreciative and informative discussion.
Hitherto available only in scattered sources, or in the libraries of wealthy collectors, the complete Documents Décoratifs is now available in this inexpensive one-volume edition. Lovers of Mucha’s work, admirers of Art Nouveau, and the application of that style to the decorative arts, will want to own this fine royalty-free collection by one of the greatest masters of the technique.
“[Documents Décoratifs is] . . . an encyclopedic source for Mucha’s style in every branch of decorative and applied art and one of the few books on design where even individual plates are sought after by collectors.” — Marina Henderson, The Graphic Style of Alphonse Mucha
The most important of these style books was Documents Décoratifs, published in 1901 at the height of Mucha’s fame as the high priest of the Art Nouveau movement. While the artist’s fame rests largely on his posters, it is in the smaller works of the style books, or design portfolios, that the refinement of his technique can best be appreciated. The present volume, carefully reproduced from an extremely rare and valuable set of originals, contains all 72 plates of the Documents Décoratifs portfolio. Included are designs for jewelry, wallpaper, stained glass, furniture, and tableware; figure and botanical studies; and a selection of Mucha’s famous panneaux décoratifs. Eighteen of the plates are in full color, while the remaining 54 are reproduced in two or more color tones.
In addition to numerous innovative designs for practical and decorative objects, the elegant draftsmanship and meticulous execution that characterized all of Mucha’s work is evident in studies of langorous nudes, portrait sketches, delicately rendered plant and animal motifs, exquisite modeling of drapery and cloth, and the flowing, fantastic forms created as experiments in pure design. In the Foreword by Gabriel Mourey, specially translated for this edition, Mucha’s own philosophy of art, and the relation of the Documents to the rest of his work, receive an appreciative and informative discussion.
Hitherto available only in scattered sources, or in the libraries of wealthy collectors, the complete Documents Décoratifs is now available in this inexpensive one-volume edition. Lovers of Mucha’s work, admirers of Art Nouveau, and the application of that style to the decorative arts, will want to own this fine royalty-free collection by one of the greatest masters of the technique.
“[Documents Décoratifs is] . . . an encyclopedic source for Mucha’s style in every branch of decorative and applied art and one of the few books on design where even individual plates are sought after by collectors.” — Marina Henderson, The Graphic Style of Alphonse Mucha
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The Art Nouveau Style Book of Alphonse Mucha (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)
$9.99
Noumenon –
This book exceeded my expectations; I’ve fallen in love lately with these Dover books of artists’ works. The full-page reproductions are top-notch and the selection creates a broad overview of the Art Nouveau/Jugendstil movement by its most famous and arguably most characteristic artist. You have Mucha himself to thank for that, as this is simply a recollation of images from his own book, though the plates are in a different order (for the purists, a chart is included referencing the pages to Mucha’s original order).
It’s not as thorough or lavish as the definitive book Alphonse Mucha by Sarah Mucha, but then it’s also less than half the price and much more portable. There’s little enough overlap between the two that it’s worth buying both, and in my opinion most of the reproductions (other than the posters) are better in this Dover book. If you’re looking for a broad overview and reference of the Art Nouveau style, this Dover book is the one to get, whereas if you want a more focused look at Mucha’s work and life, particularly his ornamental panels featuring Sarah Bernhardt and other women, you’ll want to pick up Sarah Mucha’s book (or perhaps the other Dover book, Drawings of Mucha: 70 Works by Alphonse Maria Mucha Including 9 in Full Color.)
theresah –
Wanting to understand his artwork to help create better personal art pieces
Sandra –
This is a gorgeous visual of the art of Alphonse Mucha, the great innovator of Art Nouveau. The book offers 72 plates in the original colors. There is also a forward describing the artistic progress of Alphonse Mucha. I would purchase this piece of history on the Art Nouveau movement again.
Nina Kirsch –
What you could expect of a soft cover booklet like this. Some images and if you love Mucha a great source of inspiration.
S.M. Marenco –
Ottima qualità, impostazione molto simile a quella che doveva avere l’opera nella sua edizione originale.
Consigliato a tutti gli appassionati di quest’autore e agli artisti che, come me, cercano spunti per le loro opere.
Alcuni degli oggetti illustrati nelle tavole sono, a parer mio, stupefacenti.
Da avere.
Adriana T –
Talvez por eu ter grande expectativa do livro me fez dar 4 estrelas, gostaria que o Mucha tivesse explicado o uso das molduras e o porque e como usar as repetiçoes das decorações. Mas as imagens são bem explicativas e maravilhosas. Recomendo!
Amazon カスタマー –
装飾資料集です。古いのと、海外製なので印刷の細かい点が多少気になりますが、アンティークだと解釈すれば許容範囲かもしれません。ミュシャ作品のクオリティの高さを知ることができます。
CM Shifflett –
This item is a bit tough to review.
As ART, it’s Mucha after all. It is excellent.
As BOOK, not so much.
Can you really even call it “A Book” when immediately upon opening it, it falls to pieces? If, thanks to cheap brittle glue in place of an actual “binding,” it shatters in your hands?
As REFERENCE, it will still be useful, even if the individual pages must be put into page protectors and stored in a binder. What I have here is a perfectly adequate collection of art pages . . . even if the “Book” aspect is somewhat disappointing.
Mayor Bloomburger –
I bought this book to rip out patterns and prints for inexpensive wall decorations. This book is HUGE and packed with full-page, beautiful prints. The artwork in this book is perfect for making craft and party decorations, to hang up in schools, offices and kitchens, or to scan into Photoshop for patterns, brushes, ANYTHING – the patterns and design are so intense and beautiful, there’s no way not to get inspired. The quality and quantity of the work in this book is amazing, I might end up buying it twice. Keep in mind there are lots of nudes.
Xavier Acosta –
Es un libro muy encantador, lo había conocido hace mucho en clase de dibujo y escultura, lo usaré para hacer algunos proyectos de artesanías. Las ilustraciones son de verdad muy bonitas, s vienen muchas láminas de diseño de artículos de decoración, muebles, vajillas e incluso tipografías. Se le puede sacar mucho jugo. Tal vez a alguien le pueda decepcionar que la mayoría d ella laminas son monocromáticas, pero en mi caso no es un problema.
BellaSC –
Alphonse how do I love you? Let me count the ways. Lol Probably my favorite era for art, architecture and jewelry. This a beautiful little book, black and white and color. It may be a slim book but for the money well worth it. By no means comprehensive but it will give you a taste of his talent.
Marty Beljean –
Wow!! What a prolific artist he was-This book gives a fairly broad range of his art,both advertising plates and just sketches. Very classic Art Nouveau. I’m pleased to add this to my small collection of art references.
Rebecca Jordan –
I love Muchas art. So many books you can buy but I chose this one to start out because it was fairly cheap. It doesnt have a lot of his more famous pieces but it has many examples of his work and if you want to see different examples of his style incorporated in many pieces its a good buy!