The Seasons《四 季》

[图见封底]

Mucha was established as a leading poster artist between 1895 and 1900. In gaining wider public recognition as the ‘Master of the Art Nouveau poster’, Mucha’s success in a new genre—decorative panels—played a significant part. Decorative panels were posters without text, a prototype of today’s art posters, designed purely for artistic appreciation or decorating interior walls.

[2] It was Mucha’s belief that through the creation of beautiful works of art the quality of life would be improved. He also believed that it was his duty as an artist to promote art for ordinary people.He was able to fulfill both of these objectives by means of his innovative concept of the mass-produced decorative panel.

[3] The first of Mucha’s decorative panels were The Seasons (colour lithograph, each 103cm × 54cm, 1896), a series of four panels representing the theme of the four seasons. The series proved very popular and it was followed by other popular series including The Flowers (1898), The Arts (1898), The Times of the Day (1899), The Precious Stones (1900) and The Moon and the Stars (1902). These panels illustrate all the typical qualities of the Mucha poster—the beautiful women with suggestive gestures, the decorative use of flowers and flowing hair, the subtle yet striking colours—all combine to create a compelling harmony of vision whose intention is to inspire and elevate the viewer.

1895年至1900年，穆夏一直是公认的最重要的海报画家。他之所以被誉为“新艺术海报大师”而获得广泛认可，有一个因素不可忽略，那就是他在新的艺术样式——装饰镶板——方面取得的成功。装饰镶板是无字海报，可谓当今艺术海报的雏形，纯粹为艺术欣赏或内墙装饰而设计。

[2]穆夏相信，创造美的艺术作品可以提高生活品质。他还认为，身为画家，他的职责就是向普罗大众推介艺术。为达成这两个目的，他就要实践自己的创新理念，即大批量生产装饰镶板。

[3]穆夏的首个装饰镶板作品是《四季》（彩色平版印刷，单板103厘米×54厘米，1896年），由以四季为主题的四块系列镶板构成。这组作品推出后深受欢迎，其后又推出了好几组流行作品，包括《花》（1898）、《艺术》（1898）、《四时》（1899）、《宝石》（1900）和《星月》（1902）。这些镶板具有穆夏海报的所有典型特征——姿态富含意味的丽人、装饰性的花朵和飘逸长发、细腻而耀目的色彩。种种特征组合在一起，就是要营造一份赏心悦目的和谐感，旨在激励及提升观者。

[4] The Seasons shows the harmonious cycles of nature. Four seasonal beauties, each set against a distinct natural backdrop, convey the mood of each season. Innocent Spring stands among white blossoms, charming birds;Summer lounges among red poppies;bountiful Autumn rests with chrysanthemums, gathering fruit; and Winter,in a snowy landscape, huddles under a cloak with a small bird.

[5] Mucha personifies Spring as a fair-haired figure in a translucent white dress standing under a blossoming tree.The blossom is echoed in the white flowers in her hair. She holds a lyre fashioned from a branch on which three small birds sit.

[6] Mucha portrays Summer as a sensual and sultry brunette with red poppies in her hair. A serene mood of repose and contentment pervades the scene as the woman leans against a grapevine with her feet bathing in the shallow water below. Mucha captures the summer light in the delicate blue sky beyond.

[4]《四季》表现的是大自然的和谐轮回。四个代表不同季节的丽人传递出每个季节不同的情绪，背景也是各具特色的自然风光。纯真的“春”站立白色花丛中，鸟儿为之迷醉；“夏”小憩红色罂粟丛；丰裕的“秋”置身菊花丛，采摘着水果；雪景中，“冬”手捧小鸟藏身斗篷下。

[5]穆夏将春拟人化为一个金发女子，身着半透明白裙，站立在一棵鲜花盛开的树下。那些花儿与她发上所戴一模一样。女子手持一把用树枝做成的里尔琴，琴弦上停着三只小鸟。

[6]穆夏将夏描绘为性感撩人的褐发女子，发戴红罂粟。女子倚着葡萄藤，双脚垂浸在浅浅的水洼中，整幅画面弥漫着休憩的宁静和满足的祥和。穆夏充分表现了淡蓝色天空背景下的夏日之光。

[7] Autumn is represented as a playful figure wearing a wreath of chrysanthemums in her long auburn hair. She sits amid a rich tapestry of autumnal plants and gathers grapes from an abundant vine.

[8] Draped from head to toe in a pale green cape, the figure of Winter stands next to a snow-capped bush to shelter from the cold. In her hands she warms a small bird as three other birds look on in envy. The simplicity and flatness of the composition is reminiscent of traditional Japanese woodcuts and reveals Mucha’s debt to Japanese art. ■

[7]秋被呈现为一个顽皮的女子，红棕色长发上戴着菊花花环。葡萄藤上果实累累，她坐在那里采摘葡萄，四周环绕丰富多彩的秋季植物。

[8]冬之女站立在白雪覆盖的灌木旁避寒，从头到脚包裹在淡绿色斗篷中。她手捧一只小鸟为其取暖，另外三只鸟儿则在一旁羡慕地观望。构图的简洁和平实让人想起传统的日本木刻，也揭示出穆夏作品对日本艺术的借鉴。 □