"Rome, 'Seasons', Mucha & Vivaldi" by K.J.S.Chatrath

Roaming around in Rome in June this year, I sadly  missed visiting exhibition of Alphonse Mucha's works. I was walking in the area of the Vittoriano Museum Complex when I noticed this attractive poster.





Complesso del Vittoriano (Vittoriano Museum Complex) is an exhibition space in the eastern wing of Il Vittoriano, the monument built for Vittorio Emanuele II, the first King of Italy. It regularly hosts exhibitions of international level.

I had vaguely heard of Mucha but knew almost nothing about him or his works. It is never too late to learn, I told myself as I decided to visit the exhibition.



By the time I reached the entrance of the Exhibition venue, it was about to close and I could not gain entry.

However I got a folder of the exhibition , contents of which I am sharing with my readers. 

 Alphonse Mucha. 
(Photo source: Wikipedia - George R. Lawrence Co., Chicago.)

 Alfons  (Alphonse) Maria Mucha  (1860-1939) was a Czech Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist, known best for his distinct style. He produced many paintings, illustrations, advertisements, postcards, and designs.

The Seasons (1896) was Mucha's first set of decorative panels and it became one of his most popular series.

Mucha's nymph-like women set against the seasonal views of the countryside breathed new life into the classic theme. In the four panels shown here, Mucha captures the moods of the seasons - innocent Spring, sultry Summer, fruitful Autumn and frosty Winter, and together they represent the harmonious cycle of Nature. 
 
Innocent Spring

 
Sultry Summer
 Fruitful  Autumn
 
Frosty Winter

Talking about seasons, another thing that comes to mind is 'The Four Seasons' by Vivaldi. 


The Four Seasons is a group of four violin concerti by Italian composer Antonia Vivaldi, each of which gives a musical expression to a season of the year. They were written about 1723 and were published in 1725  The Four Seasons is the best known of Vivaldi's works. Vivaldi published the concerti with accompanying poems (possibly written by Vivaldi himself) that elucidated what it was about those seasons that his music was intended to evoke. Click at the link below to listen to this masterpiece:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqTN3FGiUW0



Antonio Vivaldi (engraving by François Morellon de La Cave)

(Text with inputs from the exhibition folder of Mucha Trust and the internet. Mucha Trust holds the copyright of the illustrations of  'Seasons')

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