Peter Behrens, The Kiss (1898)
Sydney, Art Gallery of New South Wales
Image here from: https://tinyurl.com/5yshvzwe
In the late nineteenth century, a revolution took place throughout the fields of architecture and the decorative arts.
A sudden emphasis on “modernity” typified the artistic scene, expressed through a fresh observation of nature, a taste for Japanese and other non-European aesthetics, as well as a bold re-imagining of historic styles. Major cities throughout Europe and America showcased this frenzy of creativity in a cavalcade of World Faires and Universal Expositions.
Today, we tend to call this phenomenon Art Nouveau, but in fact there were many competing and contrasting movements and styles, from the whiplash tendrils and arabesques of Paris and Brussels, to the more geometric stylings of Glasgow and Vienna. The new art also went by many names: Modernisme, Jugendstil, and Secession are but a few.
The course will provide an overview of this heady time, exploring architecture and poster art, glassware and furniture, painting and sculpture, and much much more…!
RJW F212201 Online freelance course (via Zoom)
10 weeks, Wednesday 22 September - Wednesday 1 December (incl., with half-term break on 27 October)
1. Influences: Morris & Co., the Pre-Raphaelites, and the aesthetic of Japan
2. Paris: Universal expositions and the style Guimard
3. Scotland and England: “The Four” in Glasgow and the work of Voysey and Beardsley
4. France and Belgium: The glassmakers of Nancy and the world of Horta and van der Velde
5. Barcelona: Modernisme and the work of Antoni Gaudi
6. German Jugendstil: Munich, Darmstadt and Berlin
7. Vienna: The Secession and the Wiener Werkstätte
8. Scandinavia: Modernism and national consciousness
9. New York and Chicago: The work of Louis Comfort Tiffany and Frank Lloyd Wright
10. The Modern Style in Italy and Russia
£80 (individual registration); £120 (for two people on the same screen!). To register, please complete this form.