A Visual Tribute to the Origin of Czechoslovakia and Its Contemporary Critical Readings – Alfons Mucha and Jiří David
Eva Kapsová
IN: Stredoeurópske pohľady, Vol. I., Issue 1, 2019, pp. 95-102, ISSN 2644-6367 (print), ISSN-2644-6472 (online)
DOI: 10.17846/CEV.2019.01.1.95-102
Abstract:
The monumental work The Slav Epic (1912 – 1926) by Alfons Mucha is one of most extraordinary artistic achievements not only in the history of Czechoslovak art, but also in the global context. This work was a commentary of, and part of, the political movement leading to the formation and “launch” of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918. The premiere of entire cycle was held to mark the anniversary of the foundation of Czechoslovakia in 1928. This paper deals with the strategies used by Alfons Mucha in his reflections, but especially the new mythologization of the Slavic history in this work. The paper discusses his unique approach to evaluating the position of the Czech, Moravian or “Slovak” tribe in the process of constituting the “Czechoslovak nation” (?). Following Alfons Mucha, the paper also analyzes the reflection of this issue in the work Apotheosis (2015) by contemporary artist Jiří David.
