Page:Historical paintings of the Slavic nations by Alfons Mucha (1921).pdf/17

 rich-toned tapestries and the massive silver censer suspended from the ceiling gave the place the air of a secular sanctuary. The surroundings were characteristic, for this work in its more congenial phases is sumptuous, colourful, and essentially Slavonic. The youthful acolyte in the Cathedral of Brno has remained all his life a fervent churchman, and his compositions, whether realistic, decorative, or imaginative, reflect a certain sacerdotal spirit. Solemn as a Slavic ritual, and suave as the smile upon the lips of some languorous oriental enchantress, the art of Alfons Mucha reveals a subtle fusion of piety and passion. It seems to have flashed out of a mystic, sensuous past, and to point toward an enigmatic future.



The adequate pictorial presentation of the rise and development of the Czech nation, as well as kindred branches of the Slavic race, is the task to which Alfons Mucha has devoted the past decade of his artistic activity. Many years ago when he was living in Paris, the painter conceived the idea of a great cycle of mural decorations which, through the portrayal of actual historical episodes, should symbolize the character and aspirations of the Slavic peoples, and the current exhibition forms part of this uncompleted series, the most important and ambitious work yet undertaken by the artist. Mucha felt that if he could successfully depict the progressive evolution of the Slavs from the most ancient to the present times, he would be accomplishing something of lasting value; a plan he has