Randuwa II: The Phillips Collection: Alphonse Mucha

Thursday, April 17, 2025

The Phillips Collection: Alphonse Mucha

Ran over to the Phillips Collection in the DuPont Circle neighborhood of DC this morning to take in their exhibition on the work of Czech Artist, Alphonse Mucha. Somewhere between Gustave Dore and Maxfield Parrish, I met and fell in love with the works of Mucha during my teen years. Stylized, sexy, the epitome of Art Deco. What's not to love?

The works at the Phillips Collection not only show off dozens of his famous Mucha "women" prints, but sketches, publication works and illustrations, and even a couple oil paintings. The work beyond the iconic posters is what really demonstrates his deeper genius. What a lovely show. My only complaint was the extremely dim lighting. No doubt to protect the images from fading.

Finally, the exhibition also continued a pair of galleries full of antecedent works by near contemporaries all the way up to a present day album covers and comic books. All in all a joyful way to spend a couple of hours on a Thursday morning in the nation's capital.

An image of Alphonse Mucha (1860 - 1939)

Let's begin with the thing that he is most known for: those beautiful, sanguine, at times seductive young women. He used their images in advertisements, in magazine covers, and in a range of series that covered everything from the four seasons, to birth stones, to wildflowers, to the muses of the arts. They were essentially his bread and butter. He established a language of form and movement, or balance and emotion that was all his own. It was envied. It was copied. However, it was never matched. I include 4 examples from the show. One comes with a rough draft. And then there is an interesting example of work without the iconic beauty front and center stage.

"The Flowers: Lily," 1897

Color Lithograph

This is one of four created for this particular series.

"Heather," 1902

Color Lithograph

An example of a woman depicted in a more modest pose and attire.

"The Arts: Painting," 1898

Color Lithograph

Sketch for the Composition: Monaco ~ Monte Carlo, 1897

Pencil on Paper

"Monaco ~ Monte Carlo," 1897

Color Lithograph

Plate from "Le Pater: Amen," 1899

Color Lithograph

Generally, the walls were painting in dark shades of green, maroon, and aubergine which when coupled with the subdued lighting really forced guests to step up close to the works in order to give them a proper viewing.

Next, I have chosen some images that were sketches. I just love when an exhibition takes you beyond the finished works and gives you a glimpse into the artist's process.

Final drawing for Plate 7, Figures Decorative, 1894

Pencil and wash on paper

Ballet Studies, circa 1901

Pencil on Paper

I am struck by just how expressive each tiny figure is with little more than a few carefully executed pencil marks. Each is very much like a little flower; something he nearly always found a way of including in his Lithographs.

Sketch of a Paperboy, 1891

Pencil on paper

Caricature Drawings, 1882

Ink on Paper

You can't tell from this image, but these are tiny. The largest among them is barely the size of a small-handed man's fingerprint. And still the care taken to every detail. The way each embodies their personality; seems to be begging to tell their own story. Exquisite!

A pair of large lithographs framed the exit in the second portion of the main gallery. One was of Hamlet, the other was Lorenzaccio, a character from a play of the same name written by Alfred de Musset. But both also depict in the lead roles the Actor Sarah Bernhardt! Fearless in her willingness to cross gender lines in seeking out a challenging performance, she first played Hamlet at the age of 55! And Mucha was obsessed with her androgyny. She is often referred to as "his muse."