Jenny's Noodle

"It is good to cultivate tradition in art, but at the same time...the tradition must be that of the art of your ancestors and one must wish to conserve life by helping forward its organic evolution."
—Alphonse Mucha (July 24, 1860 – July 14, 1939)

Today's Google doodle celebrates the 150th birthday of Czech painter and decorative artist, Alphonse Maria Mucha. Known as the father of Art Deco, Mucha developed a distinct style of painting women which was reproduced on numerous illustrations, advertisements, furniture, costumes and jewelry.

The artist was relatively unknown until he moved to Paris, when—during Christmas of 1894—he was commissioned to create a poster for one of the greatest actresses at the time, Sarah Bernhardt. 'Le style Mucha,' as Art Nouveau was known in its earliest days, was born. Mucha returned to Czechoslovakia in 1910, where he dedicated the remainder of his life to the production of the Slav Epic, a series of 20 paintings depicting the history of his people.

Learn more about the artist at the Mucha Museum website