穆夏的创作经历几乎就是“新艺术运动”的一个缩影，他的创作涵盖了招贴画、油画、雕塑、书籍插图、建筑设计、室内装饰、首饰设计、彩色玻璃窗画等许多艺术领域，还包括家具和咖啡壶等日用品的设计以及大量的商品包装画。而其中他那些被称为“穆夏风格”的招贴画展现了成熟的追求极端唯美的新艺术曲线装饰风格，几乎成为新艺术招贴画的同义词。

　　另外，不为人所知的是，穆夏竟然还是捷克斯洛伐克**套邮票和纸币的设计者！穆夏的作品对后世的商业绘画有着极大的影响并曾经在二十世纪六七十年代重新掀起一股热潮。看过穆夏的作品，你就会明白解放前流行上海滩的美女月份牌和日本漫画中甜美的女性形象是从什么源头而来的了。

　　与别的艺术家不同，穆夏同时也是一位摄影师，他利用摄影技术来辅助他的创作。他让模特儿摆出他所需要的姿势后拍成照片，然后以照片为基础，在画面上对服饰和头发进行整理加工，经过特别的构图再加上花卉及植物花纹的装饰，最后完成他的创作。他的很多招贴画的素材都来源于照片，他为伯尔尼哈特所画的许多海报也是来自艺术家的剧照或画家本人为她拍的照片。

With his instantly recognizable decorative style, Czech artist and Art Nouveau master Alphonse Mucha (1860–1939) defined the look of the fin-de-siècle. In evocative shades of peach, gold, ochre, and olive, his seductive compositions of patterns, flowers, and beautiful women became paradigms of the Belle époque years.

Mucha’s work permeated illustration, posters, postcards, and the advertising designs of his day. His striking posters of star actress Sarah Bernhardt were particularly famous. Alongside this delicate decorative work, Mucha also harbored strongly felt political ideas. With his monumental cycle The Slav Epic, he expressed his staunch support for Pan-Slavism, promoting the political independence of the Czech and Slavic nations from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Compiled in association with the Mucha Foundation, this book presents key works and introduces the full reach of Mucha’s ?uvre from patterned decoration to his book illustrations, posters, photographs and monumental paintings.

The author

Tomoko Sato studied History of Art and Architecture at the University of Reading, and Museology at the University of Manchester. Formerly Curator at the Barbican Art Gallery in London, she has been Curator of the Mucha Foundation since 2007. She has curated numerous exhibitions on Alphonse Mucha as well as on modern art, design, and photography.