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Title: Alphonse Mucha: The Spirit of Art Nouveau
ISBN: 0300074190
Author:
Victor Arwas
Jana Brabcova-Orlikova
Anna Dvorak
Publicate Date: 1998-04-20
Publish: 1998-04-20
List Price: $70.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $44.10
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $44.09
Amazon Merchant Price: $44.10
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| Customer Review: |
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1: The Very Best Book on a Master
I very much enjoy Alphonse Mucha's art - he was a masterful draftsman, had a brilliant eye for design, and his images, from his posters to his paintings, are nothing if not captivating. I own a number of books on Mucha, and can honestly say that this is the very best book on Mucha that I have seen. Alphonse Mucha: The Spirit of Art Nouveau is the companion volume to an exhibition of his work that took place in the late 1990s, and is split into two parts: the first is a life-and-work section with a great deal of text on Mucha and his art. The second, larger half of the book, is the catalogue, and here you will find a wondrous variety of Mucha's work in full color. There are pieces included here that I have never seen before, much to my delight, as well as a wealth of preliminary work and insightful commentary.
There is only one disappointing element of this book, and it keeps me from giving it my full five stars: towards the end of his career, Mucha created a series of giant mural paintings called the Slav Epic; they are beautiful historical/allegorical works, but in no book that I have seen have they been adequately printed; this book is sadly the same in this regard, as many of the 20+ paintings (which measured 10x15 feet or so each) are printed no larger than a big postage stamp. Each panel should receive its own page, and I wonder why a work that otherwise flawlessly seems to represent Mucha's art would make this mistake. This, however, is a fairly minor issue, and should not by any means keep you from enjoying this book.
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2: You get what you pay for
If your a fan of Art Neveou, Mucha, Art Deco, or just the history of a wonderful artist than this is a must buy. It has some wonderful images that are not common in other books about Mucha, plus it goes it to detail how he started his career.
The book has a fabulous balance of commentary and his various forms of fine art, design, and nouveau. (It also has some of the best construction and printing quality that I've seen in an art book. )
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3: Great purchase
This book was well worth the money. It not only includes great pictures of his work, it also includes information about his life. The order they are placed in allows you to compare his work that takes place around the same time. It also includes his other works, such as jewelry and sculptures. I would definitely suggest this for anyone who asks.
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4: Another textbook masquerading as an art book . . .
If you are looking for an art book, avoid this one. I adore Mucha's work. That being said, I was decidedly underwhelmed with this massive tome. I was really looking forward to this because it seemed like it would be loaded with full color images from Mucha's career.
Half the book is black and white pictures with text. Then comes the 'Catalogue' which I'm finding means code for 'small pictures ahead'.
The entire Slav epic is reproduced, however the images are so tiny you can barely make it out, except for a couple pieces that take up half the page. Even more annoying is the fact that the teeny images occupy what is largely a blank page.Two or three images way down at the bottom and blank space for the rest of it.
I guess it's part of 'negative space' and art or whatever, but it felt like a rip off.
The rest of the 100 or so pages of art is much like this. Small images of most of his work, like 'Seasons' and 'Jewels' with mostly a blank page.
Why wouldn't they use more of the page and blow up the image so the reader can enjoy the works? This large book could have been the definitive book on Mucha for art book lovers. That is why I would rate this as an over hyped textbook. The best Mucha book out there is the one I imported from Prague.
Don't waste your time with this unless you are into a scholarly approach to this fantastic artist. For classroom study at best.
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5: Excellently
The detailed comments written with feeling.
Illustrations reflect all stages of creativity
The book, worthy any collection
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