"Timeless Mucha: The Magic of Line" at the Boca Raton Museum of Art

The Boca Raton Museum of Art is now home to "Timeless Mucha: The Magic of Line." I was in the area for the holidays, so I obviously had to go. Mucha's work is not only beautiful; it is the poster child for the Art Nouveau movement. I mean that literally. Mucha's 1894 poster for Gismonda -- starring none other than Sarah Bernhardt -- was entirely different than the typical poster of the era. 

The Gismonda poster was long and narrow rather than the size of, well, poster board. Its colors were subtle instead of screaming "look at me." Its focus was an image rather than text. It's hard today to think of these changes as being radical, and yet they were. 

Then there's the depiction of Bernhardt as Gismonda. Despite the image being on a poster, it is undeniably Art (capital "A" intended). Most notable for viewers today is the inclusion of the "halo" that became Mucha's signature element. 

What, you might wonder, was the response to Mucha's work? Bernhardt loved it and contracted with the artist to create posters, sets and costumes for her projects for the next six years. To see these posters, click here. (Sadly, I can't find a link for the costumes or sets.) The public also loved his work. In fact, Mucha's posters had a habit of disappearing from the walls on which they had been hung and turning up in people's homes. Cue the plug for the Art Deco poster exhibit now on display at Sarasota Art Museum. 

It was a treat to see so many of Mucha's works in one place. But the Mucha Foundation had more in mind when creating this exhibit than merely showcasing the artist's work. The Foundation also wanted to highlight how Mucha's style influenced later generations of artists, especially graphic designers of the 1960s and '70s working in a psychedelic style. I particularly liked this pairing of Mucha's poster for JOB, a French manufacturer of cigarette rolling papers, and Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley's tour poster for the Jim Kweskin Jug Band. (I've never heard of them either.) 

The standard wall card for this work notes that both images are classic Mucha because of the woman's abundant flowing locks. Got it. More interesting was the card with "stage cues for families" and "maestro's note for grown-ups." Kids were invited to follow a strand of the woman's hair and think about the shape it makes and the sound it evokes. Adults were encouraged to ask their young companions how the shapes in the work impacted the poster's mood. This is the second exhibit I've seen recently with family-friendly wall cards. I hope it's a trend. 

Another fun component of the exhibit was the inclusion of photographs from Mucha's private collection. This trio of works was showcased on a stand-alone wall and was my favorite vignette in the exhibit. The woman in this photo can be seen in the "Precious Stones: Emerald" lithograph. (To see the entire Precious Stone series, click here.) 

Then there's the Japanese cloisonne vase that's in the case. Mucha kept this vase in his studio, which he referred to as "The Cathedral of Beauty." I'm a bit unclear as to the relationship between this vase and the one in the photo. The designs look to be the same, but there's obviously a significant size differential. In any event, as beautiful as the vase is, it didn't make it into the lithograph. Instead, if you look carefully at the image in the link, you'll see that the woman is calmly resting her head on a snake. I get that a snake has the sinuous lines Mucha favored, but would she really be so relaxed???  

Visitors also had the opportunity to become a Mucha work of art themselves. Well, kinda sorta. I couldn't resist donning the multi-strand pearl necklace and floral headband and striking a pose. Happily, Oscar was willing to slip on the banadana provided for male "models" and join me for the shot. (Thanks, TJ, for serving as photographer!) It was fun and another great way to get people engaged with the exhibit. 

"Timeless Mucha: The Magic of Line" continues at the Boca Museum of Art through May 3rd. Don't miss it if you're in the area. Also on display are a cool assortment of photographs by Eduardo Chacon and highlights from the Museum's collection. For more information, click here.