This course will introduce the major proponents of the Art Nouveau movement. Art Nouveau provided a broader and more modern definition of art. Discover how they created different art forms in harmony to create a "total work of art” including ceramics, glass, fashion, architecture and interior design.

Examine the desire to create an international movement and how various cities responded to this challenge. See how an urban world was developing with new technologies and lifestyles and how some artists embraced this new world, while others retreated into the past.

Explore how nature was a unifying factor for the movement and how different artists and designers interpreted this theme to express modernity. See how new technologies such as cast iron, electricity, metros and new printing methods were interpreted and developed into a new decorative art form. Examine the new sensual image of women, as symbolised by iconic images of Sarah Bernhardt and Loie Fuller, and discover what this tells us about Art Nouveau society and the concept that ‘sex sells’. Did the movement ultimately achieve its goals and where do we see the influences of the movement in our contemporary world? Students will learn in a relaxed and informal environment and hopefully enjoy contributing to class discussions.