A study of the influence of Byzantine art on the formation of Alphonse Mucha's style in the context of European art history

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the influence of Byzantine art on the work and style of Alphonse Mucha, one of the most outstanding representatives of Art Nouveau. The author emphasizes that, despite extensive studies of Mucha's work, this aspect remains insufficiently studied. Byzantine art, with its unique aesthetic and spiritual characteristics, had a significant influence on many areas of European art, including the formation of Art Nouveau. The purpose of the study is to identify specific borrowings and relationships, as well as their interpretation in a general cultural and historical perspective. The work uses an interdisciplinary approach, including art history, comparative and cultural methods. A number of works by Alphonse Mucha are analyzed from the point of view of their compositional solutions, use of color, symbolism and ornamental elements. In parallel, a comparative analysis is carried out with Byzantine mosaics, icon painting and other artistic forms. The study revealed pronounced features of the Byzantine artistic influence on Mucha's works, manifested in the use of decorative ornaments, complex color schemes and hieratic structure of images. Mucha's pictorial works show a tendency towards symmetry, stylized forms, as well as a symbolic emphasis on the spiritual idea. Special attention is paid to the similarity of the structural elements of the compositions, the method of depicting female figures and decorations, which correlates with the cultural heritage of Byzantium. The author of the article emphasizes that the influence of Byzantine art on Mucha's work is manifested not only at the formal level, but also in the transmission of ideological content. This is especially important in the context of the mental and aesthetic processes of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when various artistic traditions were being synthesized. The work proves the importance of Byzantine art in the formation of the artistic language of Alphonse Mucha and contributes to a deep understanding of the cultural interaction that determines the development of Art Nouveau in European art.