Jaroslava and Jiri The Artist's Children

Jaroslava and Jiri, the Artist's Children was produced by Alphonse Mucha in 1919 and it gives us a rare insight into the lives of the artist and his family. The style of this painting is of the Realism movement, displaying strong technical knowledge and education.

Here in front of us we find a charming square-shaped portrait which features two young girls happily posing for the artist. They are the artist's children, as identified in the title of the painting and the overall style of this piece is in line with the Realist movement, where accuracy is key. Mucha simply depicts his adorable children exactly as they are on the day, though would no doubt have carefully planned the layout of this scene prior to starting his painting. For example, the desk on which they sit may well have been untidy already, but the artist would have considered the different objects lying upon it, as well as ensuring that nothing would block our view of the two main focal points of the artwork, namely the two girls. Mucha himelf is famous for his young women that adorn most of his more famous paintings but this example is really important in allowing us to understand more about his life and career.

Both of the girls within this portrait are dressed in white dresses, which plays on their innocence and purity, as Mucha regularly made use of symbolism within his paintings. The youngest sports a pair of comfortable looking shoes which appear almost like trainers, or the approximate equivalent in the very early 20th century. Her hair is noticeably curly, naturally, and features a blonde tone that is common within this part of Europe. She holds a fruit in her hands, perhaps a red apple or a pomegranate - it is hard to tell without seeing the fuller piece in person. She also has a small belt around her waist with a matching white clip. Her older sister places her hand on her sibling's shoulder, in part to allow her father to work without them moving, and also to provide a comforting gesture to her much beloved sister.

The older child has a similarly white dress, though with a red hairband upon long brown hair. She is portrayed in a slightly lighter tone in order to place her further back in the painting, as she sits behind her sister. She stares directly at the viewer, clearly able to follow the instructions of her father more closely than her younger sister is able to do. Besides them on an untidy desk are many different, seemingly unconnected objects which serves as still life practice for Mucha. There is a victorian-age doll, a water jug with decorative design, some flowers that appear from a hidden vase presumably and also a large number of sheets of paper, which perhaps were one of the artist's many sketchbooks or perhaps some family photo albums.