What do you think?
Rate this book
Le Pater: Alphonse Mucha's Symbolist Masterpiece and the Lineage of Mysticism
By December 20, 1899, Alphonse Mucha had experienced four years as the most recognizable proponent of Art Nouveau graphics and the most celebrated illustrator in Paris. The massive output of the artist in his first four years in the advertising and decorative world earned much for Mucha's publisher but very little for the artist himself.
As the end of the century grew near, Alphonse Mucha insisted upon the release of a deeply personal work, and printed 510 copies of what he for the remainder of his life considered his works-on-paper masterpiece, Le Pater.
Decidedly non-denominational, Mucha's exploration features a female deity protecting humankind and a number of sophisticated occult themes across a series of images of mystical illustrations.
Unlike the advertising art that had dominated Mucha's output since his "discovery" by Sarah Bernhardt in late 1894, Mucha described this series of images to a New York reporter as "the thing I have put my soul into." (The Sun newspaper, 5 January, 1900)
Mucha's previous artworks were lithographed on numerous mediums ranging from paper to silk, in multiple formats; Mucha's publisher Champenois saw that Mucha was the most printed artist in Paris in the late 1890s. Mucha's concern, understandably, was likely that the imagery of his spiritual work would be capitalized upon. By 1899, he had earned the right to demand that the Le Pater images would be produced in an edition of only 510 copies, and subsequently saw the plates destroyed- ensuring the work would never be reprinted for mass-market purposes.
The images from Le Pater are mentioned in numerous Mucha books as his masterpieces and are universally acknowledged alongside his massive Slav Epic paintings as his finest work. However, as a result of Mucha's forced limitation of the publication of this masterwork, the rarity of the lithographs means that most books are limited to mentioning the images in the text and leaving the reader to wonder what these "lost masterpieces" might look like.
The original promotional materials for the Le Pater series name these artworks as of "rare interest and considerable importance". Over 115 years later, the description continues to ring true.
Le Pater: Alphonse Mucha's Symbolist Masterpiece and the Lineage of Mysticism presents Alphonse Mucha's complete original artworks for Le Pater in ultra-high resolution, accompanied by rare historical photos and a thorough decoding of the Judeo-Christian and Masonic Symbolism hidden in the artworks.
As the end of the century grew near, Alphonse Mucha insisted upon the release of a deeply personal work, and printed 510 copies of what he for the remainder of his life considered his works-on-paper masterpiece, Le Pater.
Decidedly non-denominational, Mucha's exploration features a female deity protecting humankind and a number of sophisticated occult themes across a series of images of mystical illustrations.
Unlike the advertising art that had dominated Mucha's output since his "discovery" by Sarah Bernhardt in late 1894, Mucha described this series of images to a New York reporter as "the thing I have put my soul into." (The Sun newspaper, 5 January, 1900)
Mucha's previous artworks were lithographed on numerous mediums ranging from paper to silk, in multiple formats; Mucha's publisher Champenois saw that Mucha was the most printed artist in Paris in the late 1890s. Mucha's concern, understandably, was likely that the imagery of his spiritual work would be capitalized upon. By 1899, he had earned the right to demand that the Le Pater images would be produced in an edition of only 510 copies, and subsequently saw the plates destroyed- ensuring the work would never be reprinted for mass-market purposes.
The images from Le Pater are mentioned in numerous Mucha books as his masterpieces and are universally acknowledged alongside his massive Slav Epic paintings as his finest work. However, as a result of Mucha's forced limitation of the publication of this masterwork, the rarity of the lithographs means that most books are limited to mentioning the images in the text and leaving the reader to wonder what these "lost masterpieces" might look like.
The original promotional materials for the Le Pater series name these artworks as of "rare interest and considerable importance". Over 115 years later, the description continues to ring true.
Le Pater: Alphonse Mucha's Symbolist Masterpiece and the Lineage of Mysticism presents Alphonse Mucha's complete original artworks for Le Pater in ultra-high resolution, accompanied by rare historical photos and a thorough decoding of the Judeo-Christian and Masonic Symbolism hidden in the artworks.
- GenresArtNonfiction
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2016
4 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Negovan
38 books20 followersThomas Negovan is the founder of Century Guild, a private museum, art gallery, and archive specializing in artworks 1880-1920 with emphasis on Art Nouveau & Symbolism.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 12, 2019
If you love Mucha and Art Nouveau then this book is for you.
Clocking at 17" x 12" with heavy art paper and edge gilding, it details Mucha's illustrations for Le Pater (The Lords Prayer) in stunning super-high resolution images together with his preparatory sketches and designs, many photographed especially for this book to attain maximum quality and by golly they look incredible.
Thomas Negovan also adds commentary on the symbolism of the images and illuminates Muchas debt to esoteric thinking and Freemasonry and places Mucha and the book in its cultural miliau. This is about 100 pages long and, once again, is extensively and beautifully illustrated with great (and more unusual) images. The commentary on the Le Pater itself is excellent and one can really feel not only Negovan's deep knowledge of art, but also his love and enthusiasm for Mucha and the book.
Looking at the reproduction one realizes how poorly most art books are printed (even now) and that online images are now substitute for the real thing. For example, the frontispiece is a stunning full page sized photo of Mucha, crystal clear and beautifully printed. Its an incredible achievement and that quality is maintained throughout. On this basis its a 'must have' book and a very solid five stars.
However I would give the rest of the text, interesting though it is, four stars (okay four and a half)
as I feel that it attempts to give too general an overview aimed a more casual reader perhaps unfamiliar with the topic. This seems a little at odds with the book itself. It's physical size (quite daunting!) and its relative 'expense' (thats what quality costs!) probably means that its market is limited to a more niche audience who are probably already quite informed. I wish Negovan had really gone into more detail over, say, his relationships with the scientists and psychic investigators De Rochas and Flammarion, and whilst I loved the images of the hypnotised Lina de Ferkal in that context I felt there was a lot more to be said and that he was holding back so as not to overwhelm us with detail. I like a high resolution text!
This is my only (minor) quibble. I can go online for more research and fill in any missing blanks. Let us not forget, his is, after all, an ART book and the images are what really matters. In that respect it really cannot be faulted. Its an amazing item.
Clocking at 17" x 12" with heavy art paper and edge gilding, it details Mucha's illustrations for Le Pater (The Lords Prayer) in stunning super-high resolution images together with his preparatory sketches and designs, many photographed especially for this book to attain maximum quality and by golly they look incredible.
Thomas Negovan also adds commentary on the symbolism of the images and illuminates Muchas debt to esoteric thinking and Freemasonry and places Mucha and the book in its cultural miliau. This is about 100 pages long and, once again, is extensively and beautifully illustrated with great (and more unusual) images. The commentary on the Le Pater itself is excellent and one can really feel not only Negovan's deep knowledge of art, but also his love and enthusiasm for Mucha and the book.
Looking at the reproduction one realizes how poorly most art books are printed (even now) and that online images are now substitute for the real thing. For example, the frontispiece is a stunning full page sized photo of Mucha, crystal clear and beautifully printed. Its an incredible achievement and that quality is maintained throughout. On this basis its a 'must have' book and a very solid five stars.
However I would give the rest of the text, interesting though it is, four stars (okay four and a half)
as I feel that it attempts to give too general an overview aimed a more casual reader perhaps unfamiliar with the topic. This seems a little at odds with the book itself. It's physical size (quite daunting!) and its relative 'expense' (thats what quality costs!) probably means that its market is limited to a more niche audience who are probably already quite informed. I wish Negovan had really gone into more detail over, say, his relationships with the scientists and psychic investigators De Rochas and Flammarion, and whilst I loved the images of the hypnotised Lina de Ferkal in that context I felt there was a lot more to be said and that he was holding back so as not to overwhelm us with detail. I like a high resolution text!
This is my only (minor) quibble. I can go online for more research and fill in any missing blanks. Let us not forget, his is, after all, an ART book and the images are what really matters. In that respect it really cannot be faulted. Its an amazing item.
July 12, 2022
this is perhaps the most beautiful book i own on a strictly aesthetic level, and i'm sure i'll spend hours pouring over the images in it.
September 8, 2019
Utterly beautiful book and absolutely worth the wait. Backed the Kickstarter in 2016 and three years later this stunning book is here, full of high resolution images and informative text.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews