Alphonse Mucha, (July 24th, 1860 - July 14th, 1939) is considered the Father of the mass-produced and widely accepted ‘Decorative Panel"‘. He created some of his most notable pieces from 1895 to 1902. Of those creations came the series “The Times of the Day.” which was influenced by many of his earlier works and time spent at both the Academie Julian and Academie Colarossi.

Mucha infused a progressive style that centered around the female form as well as more subtle floral illustrations. He often depicted women in arabesque fashion, which is seen displayed throughout this series. Each woman gave indistinct nods towards the Art Nouveau design that governed these times, as seen in his piece “Evening Contemplation” (1899).

At this stage of his career, one can note the contrast between those works previously prepared for Sarah Bernhardt (a famous French stage actress) and that which he composed for this series. Mucha’s focus differed greatly, often detailing very little background to dramatize the image. Here, we see Mucha immersing his subjects in an environment just as elaborate and descriptive as their garments, with greater emphasis on the border.

The museum has all four works from “The Times of the Day” series, as well as the four works from “The Moon and the Stars” series, conveniently located together in Prague Hall.

ARTIST

Alphonse Mucha

TITLE

The Times of Day Series: Evening Contemplation

DATE

2nd half of the 20th Century

MEDIUM

Color Lithograph 

DIMENSIONS

Width 16 1/2” x Height 47 1/2”. (41.91 cm x 120.65 cm)

CREDIT LINE

Donated by Robert Dvorak, from the Ivan Lendl Collection acquired in Prostejov Castle

CURRENT LOCATION

Czech Center Museum 4920 San Jacinto St. Houston, TX 77004

Prague Hall

ACCESSION NUMBER

PU3

CLASSIFICATION

Poster

PROVENANCE