The Lily 1897

Alphonse Mucha made this print, 'The Lily', sometime around the turn of the 20th century. The idea of the artwork seems to be to create a kind of allegorical figure that merges a woman with a flower, and its context lies in the movement called Art Nouveau. We can see how Mucha uses visual codes to create meaning, combining the image of the idealized woman with the motif of nature. This was a time when social institutions such as art academies were losing their power, and artists were seeking a new basis for their work. Many looked to the natural world, and we see this in Art Nouveau's organic forms and flowing lines. Mucha's work also draws on the history of commercial art. The development of printmaking technologies and advertising created new opportunities for artists, and also changed the way art was seen in public life. To understand Mucha better, we might look at the history of advertising and the growth of consumer culture in Europe at that time. It helps to consider how artists navigated the changing landscape of art institutions and commercial opportunities.