The Czech artist Alphonse Mucha (24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939) is commonly recognised as the instigator of the Art Nouveau movement, characterized by organic, especially floral and other plant-inspired motifs, as well as highly-stylized, flowing curvilinear forms. His work typically has women as his subject matter and his fame grew when he created posters for the Parisian star of the time Sarah Bernhardt.

The colours and lines remind a lot of the more contemporary artist Audrey Kawasaki. Mucha's work has a strong element of fantasy and almost feel like they were plucked out from a fairytale. I particularly like his handling of fabric and hair.

While the colours of Mucha's work are often more muted, I particularly like the colours in the much more vibrant stained glass he designed for Prague's St Vitus Cathedral.

Interestingly I can also see some parallels between another Art Nouveau artist, Aubrey Beardsley and another of my favourite contemporary artists, Lucy McLauchlan.