The Printing of the Bible of Kralice in Ivan?ice

譯/愛藝

[圖見封底]

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.

組畫《斯拉夫史詩》由20幅巨幅畫作組成，描述了斯拉夫民族史和文明史。穆夏將其視為斯拉夫各民族的一座豐碑，他把自己藝術生涯的后半生都投入到了這組畫作的創作中。

[2] 1899年，穆夏產生了創作這一系列組畫的想法，當時他受奧匈帝國政府的委托，正在為1900年巴黎世博會的波黑館設計內飾。在為此任務做準備期間，他周游巴爾干半島列國，研究各國的歷史和風俗，同時探察南部斯拉夫人的生活——這些人就居住在20年前被奧匈帝國吞并的地區。這段游歷激發了他新的創作靈感——創作“一部獻給斯拉夫所有民族的史詩”，描繪他的祖國及其他所有斯拉夫人的“歡樂與悲傷”。

The Printing of the Bible of Kralice in Ivan?ice

（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 Chel?icky, the Brethren believed that education was the key to true faith.In the Bohemian town of Ivan?ice—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 Ivan?ice 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. ■

《在伊萬契采印刷〈克拉利克圣經〉》

（布面蛋彩畫，610厘米×810厘米，1914）

[3]弟兄合一會于1457年成立于波西米亞。受揚·胡斯和彼得·謝爾切茨基兩人教義的感召，該弟兄會相信，教育是通往真信的鑰匙。在穆夏的出生地——波西米亞的伊萬契采鎮——弟兄會的學者將《新約》翻譯成了捷克語。后來，印刷工作移至鄰鎮克拉利克，該版本由此得名《克拉利克圣經》。這一版《圣經》成為捷克國家身份的重要標志，同時也為捷克語保持活力做出了重要貢獻。

[4]穆夏在畫中描繪了家鄉伊萬契采鎮一個陽光明媚的秋日。弟兄會勤勞的會員聚集在印刷機旁，檢查第一批印出的書頁。前景中，一個年輕的學生在為一位老先生朗讀。他抬頭望向觀畫者，表情嚴肅，似乎預示了即將到來的迫害，弟兄會會員將被迫逃離這個國家。 □