Bauhaus School in Weimar, Germany - Essay Example

THE BAUHAUS SCHOOL by THE BAUHAUS SCHOOL The Bauhaus was formed in 1919 in Weimar, Germany by an architect named Walter Gropius. Its main goal was to create a unified work of art that brought together all forms of art and architecture. Gropius’s vision involved a union of art and design, to form a utopian art guild that brought together sculpture, painting and architecture into one creative idea and expression. The 19th and early 20th century old arts and crafts movements influenced Gropius. Thus, the English arts and crafts movement, constructivism and modernism were the primary forces behind the creation of the Bauhaus. Also, Gropius was influenced and subsequently followed the ideals and philosophy of a significant artist called William Morris. He (Gropius) developed an art based curriculum that enabled artists to turn creative ideas into new systems of life. The curriculum combined elements of fine art and design education. It started with an introductory course that introduced students from diverse social cultural backgrounds into study and analysis of materials, color theories and understanding of formal relationships to prepare them to remain professional in their dealings with clients (Whitford, F. 1993). The introductory course was taught by renowned visual artists such as Paul Klee, Vasily Kandinsky and Josef Albers. After an introduction into color theory, students commenced specialized workshops that included metal work, cabinet making, pottery, weaving, typography and wall painting. Bauhaus faced financial challenges that made some aspects of unifying art through craft impractical. To counter these challenges, Gropius repositioned Bauhaus goals in 1923 in order to operate on mass production of art designs. Following the repositioning, the company acquired a new slogan, ‘Art into industry’, to stress the benefits of ass production. In 1925, Bauhaus relocated from Weimar to Dessau where he designed a new structure to accommodate the school. The building had state of art facilities and features, making it a hallmark of modern art and architecture. Modern architecture included steel-frame structures, glass curtain walls, and asymmetrical pinwheel plan (Newhall, B. 2005). Through these structures, Gropius distributed classrooms, studios, and administrative spaces in order to maximally utilize the available space. The cabinet making workshop was a main creation at the Bauhaus. Under the management of Marcel Breuer (1924-1928), the studio designed and produced furniture by dematerializing conventional forms such as chairs in order to develop creative furniture. Breuer used the theory that eventually, all chairs would become obsolete, replaced by supportive structures/columns or air. He was inspired by his bicycle’s steel tubes to experiment with metal chairs, leading to creation of light-weight metallic chairs. Some of the metallic chairs were used in the theatre of the school in Dessau (Gropius, W. 2005). The textile workshop flourished under the direction and leadership of Gunta Stolzl, who was a weaver and a designer. The workshop created abstract textiles, used in Bauhaus environment. The students this workshop studied color theory, design and weaving. Stolz encouraged his students to experiment with uncommon material such as cellophane, fiberglass and metal. The fabrics produced sold successfully in the market, providing the funds needed in the school. The textile workshop comprised mainly of women because they were not allowed to participate in other areas. The workshop trained famous artists such as Anne Albers, who continue to create and write about modern textiles. The metalworking workshop was popular for developing design prototypes for mass production. Talented designers such as Wilhelm Wagenfeld, Christian Dell and Marianne Brandt created amazing modernized art products such as tableware and lighting fixtures. These objects were used at the Bauhaus, for example, the lighting features were used to illuminate the building. Actually, Brandt was the first woman to attend the metalwork studio. She later became the studio director and her designs were iconic indication of Bauhaus talent and aesthetic. The topography workshop wasn’t initially a priority goal for the school. However, it became important under Moholy-Nagy and Graphic designer Herbert Bayer’s influence (Whitford, F. 1993). Topography was seen as both an empirical way of communication and artistic expression that stressed on visual clarity. As a result, topography was increasingly linked to Bauhaus brand image and advertising. The school became famous for creative designs under the direction of talented leaders mentioned above. Its fame spread across Europe, increasing the market for its products, which were consumed by famous individuals. Bauhaus impact was felt across Western Europe, the United States of America, Canada and Israel. Its legacy was the production of modern designs that modernized Germany after World War 1. Bauhaus had a major impact on design education. Its main objective was to unify art, craft and technology. This concept was integrated in the school’s curriculum. Bauhaus preliminary courses stressed in this integration of theory and practice. This pragmatic curriculum was adopted by other design and architectural institutions in other countries such as Canada, Europe and United States of America. For Example, the colors and design curriculum used by the Shillito Design School in Sydney reflects the Bauhaus curriculum (Newhall, B. 2005). Other design schools adopted the curriculum, incorporating color theories and application of design elements and concepts. Bauhaus left another legacy in modern furniture designing. For example, Marcel Breuer created the Cantilever and the Wassily chairs, which were two master pieces that revolutionized furniture designs. However, Breuer lost a legal suit to Mart Stam, who accused him of breaching the patent rights to the ownership of the Cantilever chair. Stam worked on the chair’s design in Weimar, he was affiliated to the school but he and Breuer worked separately on the design, leading to the dispute. Bauhaus had a major impact on creation and design of wall papers. In fact, its wallpapers were the most profitable product that the school made (Gropius, W. 2005). They were craftily designed and customized to suit different environments, according to clients’ specifications. The school was also known for its fine interior decorations and finishing. The interior décor produced was of the highest quality in terms of blending colors and use of unorthodox materials to create abstract concepts. The school was successful in integrating art, craft and technology and this approach is used by many artists in the 21st century to produce over the edge pieces or art and design. Conclusion The Bauhaus was formed in 1919 in Weimar, Germany by an architect named Walter Gropius with a key objective of creating an entire work of art that unified all forms of art and architecture. Gropius vision involved a union of art and design, to form a utopian art guild that brought together sculpture, painting and architecture into one creative idea and expression. The curriculum combined elements of fine art and design education. The cabinet making workshop was a main creation at the Bauhaus. The cabinet studio designed and produced furniture by dematerializing conventional forms such as chairs in order to develop creative furniture. The metalworking workshop was popular for developing design prototypes for mass production such as tableware and lighting fixtures. Bauhaus’ legacy was the production of modern designs that modernized Germany after World War 1. Bauhaus had a major impact on design education, in modern furniture designing and creation and design of wall papers. References Gropius, W. (2005). The new architecture and the Bauhaus (Vol. 21). MIT Press. Newhall, B. (2005). Bauhaus, 1919-1928. H. Bayer, W. Gropius, & I. Gropius (Eds.). New York: Museum of modern art. Whitford, F. (Ed.). (1993). The Buhaus: Masters & Students by Themselves. Overlook Press. Read More