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Mucha’s Breakthrough: Sarah Bernhardt as Gismonda, 1894. [186293]

Currency:USD Category:Art Start Price:60.00 USD Estimated At:120.00 - 200.00 USD
Mucha’s Breakthrough: Sarah Bernhardt as Gismonda, 1894.  [186293]
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Two original photo-postcards of Bernhardt as Gismonda
Much is written of the overnight sensation created by Mucha’s posters of Sarah Bernhardt in the play Gismonda. Bernhardt wanted a knock-out poster to promote the play. She was looking for something new, artistic and very different. Alphonse Mucha had been working at Lemercier’s printshop when Bernhardt wanted a new poster for her play Gismonda. As the story goes, all of Lemercier’s artists were unavailable, so Mucha, working on another project in the shop at the time, got the job. He worked diligently all night. Lemercier was unsure if the very picky Bernhardt would like the poster. Some authors have since claimed that Lemercier thought it would be immediately rejected. But Bernhardt loved it. The new style of art, highlighting fanciful costume design incorporating bright vibrant floral designs with an intimate curvature overtones promoting a sensuousness of the central female figure immediately took hold as the “Art Nouveau”. Bernhardt loved Mucha’s proposed poster so much she signed him for a six year stint, in which some of the world’s most beautiful artistic posters were created. They were so popular that the printer had to make many runs of them to sell to the public.
Mucha, through Bernhardt, thus began the Art Nouveau movement, a classic in history.
Soon, other artists were emulating Mucha’s newly popular style. Hundreds of different post cards were created by Mucha and other Art Nouveau artists to keep up with the demand, particularly from 1894-1915.
Mucha moved back to Prague, Czechoslovakia, where he spent the rest of his life. Unfortunately, as the Nazi regime took over Poland in 1938, Mucha was captured, officially seized for “questioning.” His work was called “debauchery” by the Nazis. While Mucha was later released, he did not survive the probable torture he endured.
These two original real photo postcards of Bernhardt in that all-important role of Gismonda are a testament to Mucha’s introducing his new artform to the world, as “Art Nouveau” was thus born.
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