This collaborative painting by Aloria Weaver & David Heskin was created in honor of one of the most influential Art Nouveau artists, Alphonse Mucha, and is based on one of his bronze sculptures, 'La Nature'.
This piece was painted in one night in front of an audience as part of a full moon ceremony at the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM) in New York. CoSM is currently nearing the official opening of Entheon, a museum which will host the artworks of its founding visionaries, Alex Grey and Allyson Grey.
Though the Art Nouveau period only lasted a few decades around the turn of the 20th century, it remains an enduring testament to the cultural integration of art, design & architecture. Though Mucha is best known for his graphic works, his monumental series of 20 gargantuan canvases, "The Slav Epic" shows that he possessed skills and vision far beyond those of a graphic artist..
Photo from a 2013 pilgrimage to see the Slav Epic in Prague.
There is still an ongoing dispute between Mucha's descendants and the city of Prague about who owns these 20 paintings. Mucha dedicated and gave the paintings to Prague, provided that a permanent exhibition hall was built to house the works, which never happened. The story continues..
That is an art journey I will have to make the time for. One for my art bucket list.
Did you two ever make it to Bad Frankenhausen, Germany to see the epic panorama painting by Werner Tübke? 13m high, 128m round, 11 years from initial studies, 1/10 scale sketch to final work.
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The Tübke panorama is still on our bucket list as well. Thanks for the reminder..gotta pull out that list again for some updates..
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This is a wonderful tribute to Mucha! I have always liked his work, and the Art Nouveau style in general. I did not know about the 'Slav Epic' work in Prague, so I am glad you mentioned it! 😊
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In my entirely biased opinion, the Slav Epic series is among the most powerful artistic achievements of all time. I have a particular appreciation for the work as it came from the heart and mind of the artist, rather than in the form of a religious commission.
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Thank you for that additional information! Such a source as the heart and mind of the artist is definitely more weighty a measure than anything else!
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Aloria Weaver & David Heskin drawing from one of the Slav Epic paintings. An essential part of our art pilgrimage practice is to bring a little piece of inspiration home in our sketchbooks!
The museum guards always seem to be intrigued by this act, and they often strike up conversation to show us little-known aspects of the works..
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