“Seasons” is an artwork by Alphonse Mucha, created around 1895. It is a series of allegorical paintings that belong to the Art Nouveau movement, which was known as Modern Style around that period. The artwork splendidly embodies the essence of Art Nouveau, characterized by its flowing lines, natural forms, and stylized decorative elements.
The artwork presents a set of four panels, each representing a different season – spring, summer, autumn, and winter – through female figures that symbolize the characteristics of each season. The figures are enveloped in flowing, elegant robes that merge with the natural elements surrounding them, harmonizing humans with nature in a typical Art Nouveau fashion.
In the Spring panel, a regal maiden is adorned with flowers and gazes contemplatively to the side as sprouting foliage and blooms surround her, suggesting the awakening of nature. Summer is personified by a figure standing amidst tall wheat stalks, radiating the warmth and vibrancy of the season with a large sunflower over her head. The Autumn panel features a woman with grapevines and rich harvest tones, capturing the abundance and transition of the season. Winter is depicted as a cloaked figure, conveying stillness and introspection, with barren branches and a cool color palette to represent the cold slumber of nature.
Each panel is intricately detailed, with Mucha’s iconic use of ornate patterns and shapes forming elegant borders. The stylized features of the figures, their expressive line work, and the interplay of colors make this piece a quintessential example of Mucha’s contribution to and the aesthetic of the Art Nouveau movement.
