art of dance

i haven't posted anything by my hero alphonse mucha in a long time, so here goes. he did a series of illustrations on the Nine Muses of Art, and this chick was done to represent the art of dance. it isn't my favorite mucha, but i do love it. and i was lucky enough to find a nice big clear version of it. when i was a little girl, jean-lucien and i found a book that belonged to my mother... or was it a calendar? i think it was a book. anyway, it was all about alphonse mucha. and it was love at first sight. his work had a style my young mind could relate to... all the thick black lines around the bodies and other forms, it was reminiscent of the lines in my favorite coloring books. it had a stained glass aspect i liked very much. and there were words, as on the famous JOB posters. the girls were so dreamy and curvy and lovely in their gossamer gowns, like goddesses. the colors so effortlessly harmonious. so tranquil, yet titilating. so sure of themselves, so finished. about eleven years ago i went to a museum in raleigh, north carolina to see an exhibition of authentic alphonse mucha art. i was able to get close enough to see actual pencil lines and corrections. i believed his very dna was probably embedded in some of those works. for me, it was a religious experience. and i thank my friend kathy for accompanying me. (click to enlarge)