The Seasons – Summer
1896
Alphonse Mucha captures the lazy, hazy heat of summer with this lounging figure, her head heavy with bright red poppies. She leans casually against a tangle of vines, her flowing white dress slipping off one shoulder in a display of effortless grace against a warm, sunset-hued sky. This piece is part of his famous 1896 'The Seasons' series, a quintessential example of Art Nouveau where nature and the female form twist together in elegant, whiplash curves. Interestingly, the style was so dominant in Paris that people initially called it 'Le Style Mucha'—a label the artist hated, insisting he was a serious painter, not just a decorator!
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