I will be able to do something really good, not just for the art critic but for our Slav souls.
Exhibition of the Slav Epic (1928) by Alphonse MuchaCentro Cultural Banco do Brasil Rio de Janeiro
Exhibition of the Slav Epic
This poster was produced to announce the first exhibition of the completed Slav Epic cycle and its official transfer to the City of Prague as a donation by the artist.
The exhibition was held at the Trade Fair Palace in Prague in the autumn of 1928, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of Czechoslovakia, and in Brno in 1930.
As the model for the poster, Mucha used his daughter, Jaroslava, posing as the allegory of music (thus playing a stringed instrument), a motif taken from the 18th canvas in the series, The Oath of Omladina under the Slavic Linden Tree.
The mythical figure in the background is the pagan god Svantovit, whose three faces represent the past, the present and the future. He carries two of his emblems—the sword and the drinking horn.
Exhibition Alphonse Mucha: The Legacy of Art Nouveau (2020)Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil Rio de Janeiro
'The Slav Epic'
Through the twenty key episodes selected from Czech and other Slavic people's history, Mucha's 'Slav Epic' depicted the development of Slavic civilisation from its origin in ancient times through the Middle Ages and the Religious Reformation to the aftermath of the First World War, which brought about the independence of Slavic nations from the Habsburg Empire.
There are several broad themes embracing Mucha's canvases: the Slavs as faithful and peace-loving peoples, who contributed towards artistic and cultural development in Europe; the horrors and the tragedy of war brought about by disunity among the Slavic peoples...
...the rights of the humanity to live and prosper in a society free from oppression and subjugation with mutual respect for differences in religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
The Slav Epic - Cicle I (1912) by Alphonse MuchaCentro Cultural Banco do Brasil Rio de Janeiro
The Slav Epic - Cicle I
The Slavs in their Original Homeland: Between the Turanian Whip and the Sword of the Goths (between the 3rd and the 6th century).
The Slav Epic: Cicle III (1912) by Alphonse MuchaCentro Cultural Banco do Brasil Rio de Janeiro
The Slav Epic: Cicle III
The Introduction of the Slavonic Liturgy: Praise the Lord in Your Native Tongue (880).
Egg tempera and oil on canvas, 1912.
The Slav Epic - Cicle IV (1912) by Alphonse MuchaCentro Cultural Banco do Brasil Rio de Janeiro
The Slav Epic - Cicle IV
The Bohemian King Prmysl Otakar II: The Union of the Slavic Dynasties (1261)
Egg tempera and oil on canvas, 1912
The Slav Epic: Cicle XII (1912) by Alphonse MuchaCentro Cultural Banco do Brasil Rio de Janeiro
The Slav Epic: Cicle XII
Petr Chelcicky at Vodnany: No not Repay Evil with Evil (c.1430)
Egg tempera and oil on canvas, 191
The Slav Epic - Cicle XIII (1912) by Alphonse MuchaCentro Cultural Banco do Brasil Rio de Janeiro
The Slav Epic - Cicle XIII
The Hussite King Jiri of Podebrady: The Treaties are To be Preserved (1462)
Egg tempera and oil on canvas, 1912
The Slav Epic - Cicle XIV (1914) by Alphonse MuchaCentro Cultural Banco do Brasil Rio de Janeiro
The Slav Epic - Cicle XIV
The Defence of Sziget by Nikola Zrinski: The Shield of Christendom (1566)
Egg tempera and oil on canvas, 1914
The Slav Epic - Cicle XVI (1918) by Alphonse MuchaCentro Cultural Banco do Brasil Rio de Janeiro
The Slav Epic - Cicle XVI
Jan Amos Komensky: A Flicker of Hope (1670)
Egg tempera and oil on canvas, 1918
The Slav Epic - Cicle XVIII (1926) by Alphonse MuchaCentro Cultural Banco do Brasil Rio de Janeiro
The Slav Epic - Cicle XVIII
The Oath of Omlandina under the Slavic Linden Tree: The Slavic Revival (late 19th century)
Egg tempera and oil on canvas, 1926
The Slav Epic - Cicle XX (1926) by Alphonse MuchaCentro Cultural Banco do Brasil Rio de Janeiro
The Slav Epic - Cicle XX
The Apotheosis of the Slavs: Slavs for Humanity (1918)
Egg tempera and oil on canvas, 1926
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