On 12/17/06, oroboyz@aol.com wrote:
>
> << (like the influence of Alphons Mucha on classic bicycle ads and
> graphics) >>
>
> Tim, tell us more about this! Very interesting!
>
>
> Dale Brown
> Greensboro, North Carolina USA
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: timvictor@gmail.com
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Sent: Sun, 17 Dec 2006 11:06 AM
> Subject: Re: [CR]Re: Odd-weird-interesting-scary NOS 1972 Czech bike &
> saddle
>
>
> Dale wrote:
> > #320062087983 and 320062471061
> >
> > That is a funny-cool-weird-odd-scary bike! These "Iron curtain" companies
> are sort of like Yugos.. They LOOK normal but are still distinctly Third
> World when it comes to machining tolerances, etc.
> >
> > One thing bothered me in this auction.. Ths seller appears knowledgeable
> so why would he say "Has a really nice leather seat made by Brooks or Ideale
> I suppose." He knows that is pure BS. Troubling... What else is BS in what
> he says?
> >
> > Dale Brown
> > Greensboro, North Carolina USA
>
> Thanks for the comments, Dale, especially for the "What else is BS"
> heads-up.
> I read right past that, and never imagined for a moment that the saddle
> would
> be anything other than a Warsaw-Pact copy. I had only seen the listing for
> the
> full bike, not the other one for just the saddle.
>
> Yes, about "iron curtain" companies, I have several dozen Russian and
> Ukrainian
> copies of Leica and Hasselblad cameras. Their factories were capable of
> some
> very technically sophisticated stuff when they felt like trying, and
> consumer
> goods were often made in the same plants as their weapons and aerospace
> products. But worker morale was typically at rock bottom and quality
> control
> usually non-existent. Doug Fattic has relayed some great anecdotes about
> this world.
>
> Part of the charm for me is that it's a window into the world we didn't get
> to see at the time, "behind the Iron Curtain" that I heard so much about
> while growing up. Also Czech culture is wonderful and much overlooked
> (like the influence of Alphons Mucha on classic bicycle ads and graphics)
> and Prague is a most wonderful place to visit, fabulously beautiful and
> cultured. But the cameras sure are a lot cheaper to buy and ship and
> easier to store too.
>
> Peace,
>
> Tim Victor
> Greensboro, NC, USA
Dude, you're the fine art major! :-) I just know a little, mostly what I've read on the net. But apparently if you're seeing type that looks like a font with a name like Bernhardt or Metro, then you're seeing Mucha's legacy.
There's a good bio and essay called "The Art And Design Of Alphons Mucha" at the Scriptorium site:
http://www.ragnarokpress.com/
Key quotes: "Alphons Mucha was born in Bohemia in 1860 and moved to Paris in 1890 where he became the star of the poster-art movement under the patronage of the Sarah Bernhardt. After World War I he returned to Czechoslovakia and founded a slavic arts and crafts movement which combined elements of art nouveau with classic national themes."
And, "Mucha is probably best known for his exceptional posters, which include unusual calligraphic lettering which provides excellent source material for unique typefaces. Mucha's style is virtually synonymous with French Art Nouveau and he is one of the most imitated artists and designers of all time. Mucha's work was so widely immitated by artists like Maxfield Parrish, Leon Bakst and artists of the German Jugenstil movement that it is sometimes hard to tell where his work ends and the imitations begin. His style became so ubiquitous that by the 1930s it had become a cliche against which post-war modernist artists of the 1950s aggressively rebelled."
Another good article:
http://www.mala.bc.ca/
You can see his advertising poster for "Cycles Perfecta" (who seem to be remembered a lot more for the ad than for their cycles!) here:
http://vintage.artehouse.com/
He seems to have been a dominant influence on all of graphic art throughout the original era of the bicycle.
Hope that's interesting...
Peace,
Tim Victor
Greensboro, NC, USA