@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }span.addmd { }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Alphonse Mucha is primarily known for his early career producing Parisian Art Nouveau posters. However in 1910, Mucha left Paris to return to his home in the Czech lands where he concentrated on creating works for his country. Unfortunately, the later part of his career receives little to no attention in most art history books. His collection, The Slav Epic, represents ideas of Pan-Slavism, patriotism, and national identity. A leading scholar of national identity was Johann Gottfried Herder, a Czech sympathizer who influenced writers such as Jan Kollár and the historian František Palacký. Mucha’s works provided a visual representation of national identity and collective history specifically called for by these scholars. This thesis seeks to shed light on the late works of this artist, tracing the ever-present Slavonic influences, and also to place them in context within Czech Nationalism and Pan-Slavism in order to establish their historical significance.

A travers quelles modalités la peinture d’histoire se transforme-t-elle sous le règne de Louis XIV ? La peinture d’histoire connaît une évolution durant la période qui couvre la seconde partie du règne de Louis XIV. Ce changement résulte à la fois de modifications liées à l’évolution des commandes royales et à celle du cadre académique lui-même, ainsi qu’aux mutations du contexte de création en dehors de l’Académie royale qui renouvelle la manière d’appréhender et de concevoir la peinture d’histoire. A partir de l’étude et de l’analyse de la production des peintres reçus comme peintres d’histoire à l’Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture entre 1673 et 1694, cette thèse reconsidère les critères d’évolution du genre historique en peinture au tournant du XVIIe siècle. Sont d’abord étudiées la formation des artistes et la définition de la peinture d’Histoire au temps de cette formation (I). Puis vient l’analyse de la production de ces peintres pour l’Académie royale et pour le roi après leur agrément au sein de l’institution royale (II). Parallèlement, et pour mieux définir les caractéristiques de la peinture d’histoire de cette période, l’étude de la production pour les particuliers et les institutions religieuses, soit en dehors de l’Académie royale, viendra remettre en cause la vision historiographique selon laquelle cette peinture émane d’une crise et éclairer ses nouvelles voies de transformation, en particulier à travers l’hybridation des genres (III). / Through which terms History painting is changing under the reign of Louis XIV? History painting evolves during the period which covers the second part of the reign of Louis XIV. This change is due to modifications dependent on the evolution of the Royal commissions and of the Academic framework itself, as well as the transformation of the context of creation apart from the Royal Academy which renews the way of apprehending and conceiving the History painting. From the study and analysis of the works of History painters members of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture between 1673 and 1694, this thesis reconsiders the criteria of evolution of historical style in painting at the turn of the XVIIe Century. To begin with, the artists’ training and the definition of History painting at that time shall be discussed (I). Then we shall analyze the production of these painters for the Royal Academy and for the King after their approval within the Royal institution (II). Furthermore, in order to define better the History painting characteristics at this time, the study of the works for private individuals and religious institutions (i.e. apart from the Royal Academy) will question the historiographic vision which claims that History painting comes from a crisis; it will also clarify its new ways of transformation, in particular through the hybridization of styles (III).