Madonna of the Lilies – Alfons Mucha – Catholic Art Print – Catholic Gift

Painted at the height of Art Nouveau by its greatest painter, Alfons Mucha, this is probably the most famous piece of Catholic art in that style. Since we love Art Nouveau, we've been meaning to list this beauty for some time. It has the dreaminess, the languid swirls, the femininity of that style, all used to display the Mother of God. According to the Mucha Foundation, Mucha conceived of the subject as 'Virgo puissima," and the mass of lilies represent purity. The little girl with the Slavic folk costume holds a wreath of ivy leaves which is a symbol of remembrance. She looks out at us to bring us into the painting, and, as is often the case with little avatar figures in paintings, her serious look questions us along the lines of, Do you not wish to have more faith? She has a strong physical presence in contrast with the ethereal figure of Mary. (source: muchafoundation.org)Alfons Mucha (1860-1939) was himself Slavic, an enormously successful painter of the late 19th and early 20th C