AT the November meeting of Crediton and District U3A members received a talk by Professor Ian Barclay entitled “Art Nouveau: its roots, development and impact”.

This proved to be an informative, witty, interactive and entertaining talk as Ian traced the development of the style with many examples, stories and a few jokes!

There was audience participation with a song (“I’m a little teapot short and stout…”) and questions with only one answer: sex.

Ian spoke about the curvilinear form, or the “whiplash”, that features in the art and discussed its origins in Japonism, in mysticism and imagery and in Islam and Arabia. He showed a picture of the interior of a North African mosque and pointed out the sand coloured browns, blues and Arabic script shapes that feature in art nouveau.