Book – Mucha (P. Bade)

Book – Mucha

Author: Patrick Bade

Score: 7/10

Year: 2011

Publisher: Parkstone

ISBN 978-1-906-981-16-7

Pages 255

Language: French 

*23rd book in Goodreads reading challenge*

This small book (17.1X2.9X15.3 CM) presents a a non-exhaustive look into Mucha's life (1860-1939), starting by a  page-long chronology, and followed every other subsequent page in details of his life and his career. 

Each of the text pages is divided by text, 3 small close-ups of the art piece presented in the opposite page, as well as their title, material and dates. 

120 of his pieces are thus presented, in chronological order ; I wish they had been left to the second half of the book, and that the first would've been pure text. Indeed, none of the pieces correspond to the text, and it becomes quickly very distracting to try reading their descriptions alongside the main text - especially since that part isn't even divided into chapters, and flows naturally as an essay. 

I did like the flow between telling the story and quoting Mucha and others who knew him, and enjoyed discovering more about his life, as I didn't know enough about him. 

His art is exquisite, and the final wish would be for a bigger book, because, frankly, 17.1X15.3 format does no justice to any of it. 

An 8-pages long alphabetical list of the illustrations finishes this small book, generally enjoyable, as long as I read the texts and the descriptions separately.