Dance

The Dance (1898) was created at the height of Alphonse Mucha's fame and was an Art Glass Panel adapted from Mucha’s series of colour lithograph illustrations, called The Arts. An edition of 1000 copies were printed on vellum, with a further 50 limited edition copies printed onto satin.

For The Dance Mucha, inspired by the beauty of nature, discarded paintbrushes and quills and emphasized the features of nature in his work. For example, the circular backdrop features a circular shell pattern of increasing sizes, acting as an arch above the single standing figure. The use of autumnal colours (browns, yellows and orange) and motifs (falling leaves dancing in the autumn breeze), draw your eyes to the lone woman posing provocatively, seductively glancing back over her shoulder, while her orange dress and long aubern hair blow wildly in the autumn morning breeze, exposing her legs, chest and back – a risqué image in 1898.

Dance, the most sensual of the series, celebrates the female form – it has been suggested that the use of autumn is a metaphor for the menopause. Enamel colours were individually applied to a single sheet of glass – this was then fired in a kiln to permanently fuse the enamels to the glass. Mucha then framed the glass panel with a copper patina metal came for an antique feel.

The distinctive Czech artist Alfons Maria Mucha (known in English and French as Alphonse Mucha), is best known for his distinctive Art Nouveau (Modern) artistic style. Mucha (1860-1939), is fondly remembered as a patriot of Czechoslovakia and for his advertisements, paintings, illustrations, theatre sets, home furnishings and jewelry designs.