IT was almost standing room only at the Neroche Decorative & Fine Arts Society March meeting when members were treated to a fascinating illustrated lecture from Douglas Skeggs.

Writer, artist and TV presenter, Douglas explored the rich artistic movement of the Viennese Secession at the turn of the 20th Century and the works of founder member Gustav Klimt.

He detailed the other side of Vienna, away from the waltzes and high life, setting the works of Freud, the music of Gustav Mahler and the haunting paintings of Klimt, Kokoschka and Schiele into the dark time in the city before the outbreak of the Great War.

The lecture was informative with many of the well-known shimmering, golden pictures from Klimt explored and explained, together with those of the risqué Schiele and others working in this often dark but always dazzlingly inventive period of art.

The talk also detailed many of the new buildings and galleries of the time and it was announced that Neroche DFAS members would be able to visit these and see many of the works mentioned during the 2016 society tour planned for May 2016.

Neroche DFAS is the oldest branch of NADFAS in the south west and holds monthly talks at Dillington House by leading experts in their field, throughout the year. For details of future events go to www.neroche dfas.org.uk