ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939) L'HIVER. 1900. 28 5/8x12 3/8 inches. [F. Champenois, Paris.] Condition B+: extensive overpainting in border. Mucha poured a lot of creativity into designing new decorative panels to fulfil the commercial dreams of Champenois. But even the imagination of the master of Art Nouveau had its limits. After having worked with flowers, The Arts, precious stones, times of the day, Byzantine heads, calendars and other subjects, Mucha decided to turn his attention back to the most obvious, and his most successful subject: The Seasons. The 1900 series is an excellent follow-up to the set he designed in 1896. While the premise is the same, young women as irresistible allegories of the seasons, the approach is different. He has placed these images within decorative borders, and depicted the women with their feet on the ground, rather than seemingly floating in air. In addition to using metallic silver ink, Mucha also employs a starker and more realistic color scheme than the pastels of 1896, imbuing this image with a sense of the harsh winter weather, yet keeping us aware of the beauty of the season. Rennert/Weill 74.
![ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939) LHIVER. 1900. 28x12 inches. [F. Champenois, Paris.]](https://catalogue.swanngalleries.com/full//920\582920.jpg)
