“Gismonda”
This lovely color lithograph from 1894 is by the Czech Art Nouveau artist, Alphonse Mucha, and is titled “Gismonda”.
This is the piece that sparked Mucha’s extensive career. It was made as the official advertisement for the 1895 production of Gismonda at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris that was starred in and directed by the famous French actress, Sarah Bernhardt. Bernhardt is depicted as Gismonda, the title character, in a costume which the actress wore during the final scene of the play.
Bernhardt was so happy with the poster, that she used it as her official poster during her US tour of Gismonda the following year and began a six-year working contract with Mucha.
Mucha created this in late December of 1894 after seeing an advertisement at his local print shop looking for an artist to create a poster for a Sarah Bernhardt play. Bernhardt was the most famous actress in all of Paris at the time, and for years afterwards. Within two weeks, Mucha had created the “Gismonda” lithograph you see here. The style was completely unique, and it was a huge success. So, this very piece began the “Mucha style” movement that turned into the Art Nouveau style we know and love today. After this initial success, Mucha’s work was sought out and copied all over the city. After the 1900 Universal Exhibition of Paris, his work was sought out and copied all across the world.
For those interested in the play itself, Gismonda was a play written by the French playwright, Victorien Sardou, that takes place in Greece during the 1450s in the Florentine period. In it, Gismonda is the widow of the Duke of Athens, of which she shared a son. She rules her husband’s duchy and has a court of admirers trying to win their favor and influence.
One of her “admirers”, Zaccaria, stealthily pushes her son into a tiger’s pit, as her son would one day rule over the duchy. After no one offers to help, Gismonda promises to wed and share her power with whoever can save her son. Her son is then saved by a commoner, Almerio. Once Gismonda hears that she is to wed a commoner, she backs out her promise. Almerio allows her to back out, as long as they can become lovers, to which she agrees.
Gismonda slowly begins to fall in love with Almerio. As she sneaks out of his cabin one day, she runs and hides in the bushes when she hears voices. Zaccaria, the one who pushed Gismonda’s son into the tiger pit, is en route to kill Almerio. Gismonda hears him and his accomplice discuss that they had tried to kill Gismonda’s son. As she overhears this, she runs out and kills Zaccaria.
It is believed that Almerio is the one who murdered Zaccaria, and he is sentenced to death. He keeps the truth to himself and takes the blame as he is trying to protect Gismonda. It finally comes out from Zaccaria’s accomplice that Gismonda killed Zaccaria but only because he tried to kill her son, and Almerio is set free. Gismonda and Almerio, now deeply in love, agree to get married. In 1919, Gismonda was adapted into an opera by the French composer, Henry Février.
For more on Alphonse Mucha, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
