The Mysterious Art Museum

Chapter 8 (1) - The Mysterious Art Museum

The music intensifies and the part that I couldn't see yesterday because of the crowd unfolds.

"Slav Epic (Slovanska epopej)."

A series of 20 pieces.

These paintings, depicting the history and civilization of the Slavic people, are enormous, with the largest measuring 6 by 8 meters. And there are 20 of them.

Unlike his commercial art from his younger days, these late works of Mucha reflect his fears of being remembered only as a commercial artist and his desire to document the joys and sorrows of his own nation and other Slavic people, not to let history be forgotten.

Mucha took one year to complete each painting, finishing this magnificent series over 20 years. He then donated the entire collection to the city of Prague to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Czech independence.

I gazed quietly at the painting projected on the far left, dark yet fantastically rendered.

"No.1 Slavs in Their Original Homeland."

[T/N:

The Slav Epic - Wikipedia

]

A series that begins with the history of the Slavic people from the 4th to 6th centuries. The first painting immediately catches my eye.

The Slavs, farmers living in the marshes of the Black Sea or Baltic Sea, lacking a political structure, constantly faced attacks from the Germanic people of the West, who would burn their houses and steal their cattle.

I scrutinized each painting carefully.

On the horizon, a village burns. In the foreground, a couple hides in the bushes, trembling with fear.

They are likely villagers who managed to flee and survive.

The terror and thrill on their faces seem to plead for help from the viewer.

The warrior in red, supporting the priest's right arm, symbolizes war, while the woman in white with a laurel wreath on her head symbolizes peace.

Next to these two figures symbolizing war and peace, floats the image of an ancient priest from folk belief, pleading with the gods for mercy on his suffering tribe. These figures foretell the peace and freedom that will come to the nation through war and independence.

True to its name, the epic paintings tell a story.

I've heard that Thangkas in Buddhism are paintings depicting the life of Buddha from the scriptures.

Mucha's paintings similarly seem to calmly narrate the history of the Slavic people. I snapped out of my reverie, gazing at the paintings.

"Look at me, getting lost in these paintings when I came here for inspiration."

In this dreamlike universe where the epic unfolds,

I viewed the paintings, pondering over ideas for the competition, searching for hints. Amidst fleeting images, I wished to identify anything resembling a flower, but flowers were nearly absent in the history of the suffering Slavic people.

"Sigh, I'll have to wait for the program to restart."

These paintings are, of course, historically and aesthetically significant.

But I need a hint.

Like Mucha said in my previous dream, I'm not just waiting for inspiration, I'm actively seeking even a straw to grasp at for a small clue.

Then, as the music dims, all the paintings slowly vanish.

"Oh! Looks like it's over."

Wait, but it seems different from last time. Or is it? Did I miss this part because I dozed off?

I sat there, waiting for the program to start again.

Now, when it restarts, the first painting will be The Seasons I saw yesterday. Alphonse Mucha, the artist who seduces with his images.

There must be a hint in his paintings. I must discover it today.

About five minutes break between programs.

I leaned my chin on my hand, smiling as I recalled yesterday's dream.

"Thanks to the poster, Sarah's new play Gismonda was a tremendous success. People who came after seeing the poster asked if they could get one. Seeing this, Sarah proposed a six-year exclusive contract to Mucha, and he seized this opportunity to succeed."

There was something in the poster for Gismonda that wasn't originally planned.

After seeing the script, Mucha wrapped a snake-shaped bracelet around Sarah's arm to enhance her villainous image. Sarah, delighted with the poster, commissioned a jewelry designer she knew to create the bracelet.

The designer, Georges Fouquet, a famous jeweler at the time, created the bracelet based on Mucha's design, adorned with diamonds, rubies, and gold, resulting in a stunning piece.

Fouquet later commissioned Mucha for a design for an exhibition piece at the World's Fair, thus venturing into jewelry design.

"Fouquet, after his great success, would later commission Mucha to design his entire shop in Paris."

Alphonse Mucha, the star of Art Nouveau.

What if I had the chance to think like him?

Could I become a leading artist in the commercial market like him in that era?

Though times and opportunities are different, and success is not guaranteed, it would surely be better than now.

Then, Dvok's majestic Requiem starts again.

I thought I had enough time to think more about the contest submission since I saw the Four Seasons enough yesterday.

But that was a mistake.

"Huh?"