"The Slav Epic Cycle" - 20 Artworks by Alfons Mucha

[Kazimiera]

Mucha spent many years working on The Slav Epic cycle, which he considered his life's fine art masterpiece. He had dreamed of completing a series such as this, a celebration of Slavic history, since the turn of the 19th century, however, his plans were limited by financial constraints. In 1909, he managed to obtain grants by an American philanthropist and a keen admirer of the Slavic culture, Charles Richard Crane. He began by visiting the places which he intended to depict in the cycle, such as Russia, Poland and the Balkans, including the Orthodox monasteries of Mount Athos. Additionally, he consulted historians about the details of historical events in order to ensure an accurate depiction. In 1910, he rented a part of the castle in Zbiroh and began working on the series. Mucha continued working on the cycle for 18 years. He gradually handed over the finished paintings to the city of Prague.

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No.1: The Slavs in Their Original Homeland (1912)


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No.2: The Celebration of Svantovít (1912)


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No.3: Introduction of the Slavonic Liturgy in Great Moravia (1912)


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No.4: Tsar Simeon I of Bulgaria (1923)


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No.5: King Přemysl Otakar II of Bohemia (1924)


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No.6: The Coronation of Serbian Tsar Štěpán Dušan (1926)


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No.7: Milíč of Kroměříž (1916)


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No.8: Master Jan Hus Preaching at the Bethlehem Chapel: Truth Prevails (1916)


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No.9: The Meeting at Křížky (1916)


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No.10: After the Battle of Grunewald (1924)


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No.11: After the Battle of Vítkov (1916)


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No.12: Petr of Chelčice (1918)


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No.13: The Hussite King Jiří z Podĕbrad (1923)


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No.14: The Defence of Sziget by Nikola Zrinski (1914)


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No.15: The Printing of the Bible of Kralice in Ivančice (1914)


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No.16: Jan Amos Komenský (1918)


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No.17: The Holy Mount Athos (1926)


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No.18: The Oath of Omlandina under the Slavic Linden Tree (1926)


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No.19: The Abolition of Serfdom in Russia (1914)


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No.20: The Apotheosis of the Slavs, Slavs for Humanity (1926)

[Incal]

I adore Mucha.