Gismonda
Mucha's poster for Sarah Bernhardt in a new, tall and narrow format.
Alfons Mucha got the commission by chance just before Christmas 1894, when the printer's regular artists were on holiday. The poster for Sarah Bernhardt's play Gismonda went up in January 1895.
Bernhardt was so delighted that she gave Mucha a six-year contract. His style became synonymous with Art Nouveau in Paris.
Materials: Colour lithograph on paper
Manufacture: Printed in two parts joined into a poster over two metres tall.
The narrow, tall format, almost life-size.
The arch behind the head, like a halo.
Muted colours, gold and pattern in the clothes.