Description
Theatrical affiche by the Czech artist Alphonse Mucha was created in January 1895 by order of the actress Sara Bernardt for her “Theater de la Renaissance” in Paris.
It was intended for a theatrical production of the Greek melodrama in 4 acts “Gismonda”, written by Victorien Sardou in 1894. Mucha received the order unexpectedly after Sarah Bernardt rejected a sketch offered by the Lemercier printing house at noon. It became a turning point in Mucha’s creative career. The poster appeared on the streets of Paris in the first week of January 1895 and caused a real sensation, becoming a revolution in the field of poster design.
This poster is referred to as the perfect poster concept; for Mucha, it was the first step towards the exceptional personal style of “Le Style Mucha”, and he qualifies since then as an outstanding representative of the Paris Art Nouveau style.
