The Times of the Day – Brightness of Day

The Times of the Day
Set of four colour lithographs, 1899
Morning Awakening
Brightness of Day
Evening Contemplation
Night’s Rest

In this series, Mucha expressed the mood of four times of the day with the figures of four women. Each woman’s pose and the seasonal landscape in the background—Morning with spring; Daytime with summer; Evening with autumn; Night with winter—reflect her mood. Combining delicate colours with exuberant floral motifs, Mucha then enclosed each composition in an elaborate ornamental frame reminiscent of a Gothic window.