Degree Programs

Art nouveau, an attempt to reform and renew the complete design of daily life in fin-de-siècle Europe, has been perceived as pivotal in the transition from a historicist 19th-century tradition to modernist ideals of the 20th century. This course investigates major designers and architects; concepts of organicism, technology, and craft revivals; Gesamtkunstwerk and the interior; and methodological and historiographical issues of interpretation. Broader aspects of social life at the fin de siècle, including feminism, nationalism, and movements such as socialism and anarchism, provide the context for inquiry. 3 credits.