Alphonse Mucha, Peonies (1897) (Full size image download)
In itself an inspiration from the natural forms of plants and flowers, with their flowing lines and their exquisite curves, Art Nouveau is manifested in this beautiful depiction of peonies by Alphonse Mucha (1860 – 1939).
Delicate and luminous, the medium is watercolours for a printed fabric. The lines in the blooms provide an element of detail and naturalism. However, the stems are rendered stylistically in curves which are the trademark features of Art Nouveau (~1890 to 1910). As are the heavy, thick outlines of the flowers and the pure, flat areas of colours. Softness is brought into the image in the pastel colours used for the botanical aspects, and there is even a suggestion or memory of femininity, since these colours were often used to depict women in Mucha’s artwork who were actually presented alongside flowers. Alongside other artists, Mucha celebrated the female form as an antidote to an impersonal “masculine” world of over-industrialisation. In addition, abstraction and a touch of gentleness is imported through the background and its curving shapes.
As a result, there is an oscillation or dynamic tension between the abstract lines and the figurative flowers, a deliberate contrast between two very different art styles and visions, but also their harmonisation into a seemingly contradictory but unified whole.
Alphonse’s “A”
A host of unfinished circles add the sense of wholeness to the piece, but, simultaneously, the lack of completion also represents a fragmented vision. And, if you look carefully, you can see that the artist has signed his initial ‘A’ everywhere into the piece, showing that it is about his identity and the repetition or compulsions of identity and the achievement of the artist’s name (his style, his distinctiveness). The effect is enhanced when one thinks of the obsessive way in which Mucha worked flowers into all of his work (perhaps an influence from Czech folk art where this also happens and therefore a possible reflection of his Czech nationality since he often sought to portray this too). And possibly the tensions in his vision and himself: the split between naturalism and stylisation. The
difference between looking carefully and the attempt at an imaginative, unique, unearthly artistic vision.
This artwork is currently held in storage at The National Galleries of Scotland.
Plant Taxonomy
Many cultivars for cut flowers or gardens
Before, the genus Paeonia was classified in the family of Ranunculaceae. Yet more recent studies have influenced modern taxonomy to classify peonies under the Paeoniaceae, their own unique and distinct family. Different plant classification systems have indicated that there are between 45 to 65 different species in the genus Paeonia. The Catologue of life currently lists 50, in addition to numerous sub-species.
Peonies are found across Europe, Asia, and western North America. Economically, this group holds significance for its diverse garden varieties of peonies, known for their striking, large blossoms that come in an array of shapes and colours.
About the Artist
A Czech illustrator and painter, Alphonse Mucha lived from the mid-ninteenth century to July 14, 1939. A master of the poster, he has been most recognised for his Art Nouveau posters of plays staged in Paris featuring the all-time great Sarah Bernhardt, famed for her acting prowess. Towards the end of his career, Mucha created the “Slav Epic”, a series of twenty paintings depicting the history of the Slavic people.
The vivid and instantly recognisable style of Mucha derived from Pre-Raphaelite influences, Hans Makart, and Japanese wood cuts. Mucha himself was to influence other movements, including 1960s British counter culture with his flowing lines, images of women and “flower power”. This was particularly apt because this was a musical culture and Mucha himself had initially wanted to be a musician rather than an artist.