The Printing of the Bible of Kralice in Ivančice

译/爱艺

[图见封底]

The Slav Epic is a series of twenty monumental canvases depicting the history of the Slav people and civilisation. Mucha conceived it as a monument for all the Slavonic peoples and he devoted the latter half of his artistic career to the realisation of this work.

[2] The idea of the work was formed in 1899, while Mucha was working on the design for the interior of the Pavilion of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which had been commissioned by the Austro-Hungarian government for the Paris Exhibition of 1900. In preparation for the assignment he travelled widely through the Balkans,researching their history and customs as well as observing the lives of the Southern Slavs in the regions that had been annexed by Austria-Hungary two decades earlier. From this experience sprang the inspiration for a new project—the creation of ‘an epic for all the Slavonic peoples’ that would portray the ‘joys and sorrows’ of his own nation and those of all the other Slavs.

组画《斯拉夫史诗》由20幅巨幅画作组成，描述了斯拉夫民族史和文明史。穆夏将其视为斯拉夫各民族的一座丰碑，他把自己艺术生涯的后半生都投入到了这组画作的创作中。

[2] 1899年，穆夏产生了创作这一系列组画的想法，当时他受奥匈帝国政府的委托，正在为1900年巴黎世博会的波黑馆设计内饰。在为此任务做准备期间，他周游巴尔干半岛列国，研究各国的历史和风俗，同时探察南部斯拉夫人的生活——这些人就居住在20年前被奥匈帝国吞并的地区。这段游历激发了他新的创作灵感——创作“一部献给斯拉夫所有民族的史诗”，描绘他的祖国及其他所有斯拉夫人的“欢乐与悲伤”。

The Printing of the Bible of Kralice in Ivančice

（egg tempera on canvas, 610cm ×810cm, 1914）

[3] The Unity of the Brethren formed in Bohemia in 1457. Informed by the teachings of Jan Hus and Petr Chelčicky, the Brethren believed that education was the key to true faith.In the Bohemian town of Ivančice—Mucha’s birthplace—Brethren scholars produced a Czech translation of the New Testament. Later known as the Bible of Kralice when printing transferred to the nearby town of Kralice, this work became an important symbol of Czech national identity and was instrumental in keeping the Czech language alive.

[4] Mucha depicted his home town of Ivančice on a sunny autumn day. The industrious Brethren gather around the printing press to inspect the first printed pages. In the foreground a young student reads to an old man. He looks out to the viewer and his stern expression seems to foretell the impending persecution that will force the Brethren to flee the country. ■

《在伊万契采印刷〈克拉利克圣经〉》

（布面蛋彩画，610厘米×810厘米，1914）

[3]弟兄合一会于1457年成立于波西米亚。受扬·胡斯和彼得·谢尔切茨基两人教义的感召，该弟兄会相信，教育是通往真信的钥匙。在穆夏的出生地——波西米亚的伊万契采镇——弟兄会的学者将《新约》翻译成了捷克语。后来，印刷工作移至邻镇克拉利克，该版本由此得名《克拉利克圣经》。这一版《圣经》成为捷克国家身份的重要标志，同时也为捷克语保持活力做出了重要贡献。

[4]穆夏在画中描绘了家乡伊万契采镇一个阳光明媚的秋日。弟兄会勤劳的会员聚集在印刷机旁，检查第一批印出的书页。前景中，一个年轻的学生在为一位老先生朗读。他抬头望向观画者，表情严肃，似乎预示了即将到来的迫害，弟兄会会员将被迫逃离这个国家。 □