Bauhaus
There was a movement in Germany in 1919 after WWI, where there was a free movement, no censorship, new ideas could be created and eight years after, the Bauhaus came to be as it saw potential for its development and it was also a major source of hope.
Bauhaus found a clean slate and could create an innovative school. Walter Gropius (1883-1969) was the founder for this school.
Walter Gropius
He built his building in the outskirts of Berlin in Germany. The building was in complete contrast with its surrounding architecture, it was innovative and daring.
Bauhaus building (1925-1926)
Gropius wanted to be able to teach Fine arts and Crafts as a whole not on separate terms, he also wanted to create a new form of aesthetic, where form follows function and this came to be known as design. When the school opened many women applied more than men so after a while he separated them into more ‘stereotypical women’s friendly’ workshops as other workshops where considered to be too hard for female students. This was not the initial set plan as the vision was to let all the student work in all the workshops with any discrimination. To do so the school offered many classes/ workshops. Many of the workshops consisted of ceramics , painting, weaving, carpentry, metal, graphic printing, printing and advertising photography, glass and wall-painting, stone, wood, plastic and theatre workshops. In comparison to the Bauhaus in Malta we find the institute of Art and Design that also offers similar workshops and studies.
In 1925 the school had to move to a new area called Dessau. The area that was offered was on the outskirts, close to the industrial area. The industrial site gave way to more industrialized works that where produced at the school. Some of the designs that where produced are still being used to this day. Examples of such products are chairs, desk lamps and many more.
The school thought students the importance of form follows function. They made them realize that elaborate designs, although visually pleasing do not offer much purpose so it is best to produce designs where the aesthetic is part of the product as whole. Keeping it minimal and functional was the new trend.
Bauhaus had a lot of important people work and learn within the Bauhaus some of which are Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969), Marcel Breuer (1902-1981) and Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944).
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Marcel Breuer
Wassily Kandinsky
Mies van der Rohe – Barcelona chair (1929)
Marcel Breuer – armchair/lounge chair (1928-1929)
Wassily Kandinsky – Composition VIII (1923)
In my own personal view I owe a lot of my studies to the Bauhaus because it made way for the types of artistic colleges I find myself studying in at the moment. The principle of form follows function was sacred then and is still sacred today. I apply this to almost all my artistic design work.
Bibliography:
Bauhaus Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. 2015.Bauhaus Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-bauhaus.htm. [Accessed 09 January 2015].
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2015.Ludwig Mies van der Rohe – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Mies_van_der_Rohe. [Accessed 09 January 2015].
Marcel Breuer – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2015. Marcel Breuer – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Breuer. [Accessed 09 January 2015].
Wassily Kandinsky Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works | The Art Story. 2015. Wassily Kandinsky Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works | The Art Story. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-kandinsky-wassily.htm. [Accessed 09 January 2015].
Walter Gropius – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2015. Walter Gropius – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Gropius. [Accessed 09 January 2015].
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Bauhaus: Design in a Nutshell (3/6) – YouTube. 2015. Bauhaus: Design in a Nutshell (3/6) – YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQa0BajKB4Q. [Accessed 09 January 2015].
Bauhaus – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2015. Bauhaus – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus. [Accessed 09 January 2015].
MoMA | The Collection | Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Barcelona Chair. 1929. 2015. MoMA | The Collection | Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Barcelona Chair. 1929. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=4369. [Accessed 09 January 2015].
MoMA | The Collection | Marcel Breuer. Armchair/Lounge Chair. 1928-29. 2015. MoMA | The Collection | Marcel Breuer. Armchair/Lounge Chair. 1928-29. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=4306. [Accessed 09 January 2015].
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyhrMZB-WLo BAUHAUS – Triadisches Ballett / Triadic Ballet – The weirdest thing you’ll ever see – YouTube. 2015. BAUHAUS – Triadisches Ballett / Triadic Ballet – The weirdest thing you’ll ever see – YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c6B7VKfdW4. [Accessed 09 January 2015].
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