The Reunification of all the Artistic Handwork Disciples

The Bauhaus didn’t just come to be, but rather progressed from other previous movements that lead to it. For instance, the Arts and Crafts movement together with Constructivism, De Stijl and Deutsche Werkbund were the founding movements which lead to the Bauhaus Movement. I already discussed these said movements individually about their foundations and principles. Now we are going to see how each contributed to make the Bauhaus Movement possible.

Being modern means making use of new technologies and techniques, as did the Impressionists at that time. With regards to design, the fact that we went through the Industrial Revolution and mass production, makes it modern. Therefore anything which is new and innovative is by definition modern!

The Bauhaus was founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius in 1919, by uniting the Weimar Art Acadamy and Henry van de Velde’s schoolof Industrial design. Its name meant literally building house. It was initially moved to Dessau then to Berlin but it was eventually closed down in 1933 by the Nazis. Later the Bauhaus moved to America but it did not last long there. “The Bauhaus’ attempts to gather all artistic creation into a single entity – the reunification of all the artistic handwork disciplines – sculpture, painting, the applied arts, and crafts – as indissoluble elements of the new art building.” Walter Gropius. (Thomas Hauffe Design a concise history page 75). By following this belief, the Bauhaus developed an entirely new organisational and architectural structure. Another quote from their manifesto was that “the complete building is the ultimate aim of all visual arts” in which they believed in the equality between artists and craftsman. The designers got their inspirations from: 

Henry van de Velde, 

William Morris from the Arts and Crafts Movement, 

Expressionist paintings, 

De Stijl, 

Constructivism, and especially the technology of machines.

Henry van de Velde Bloemenwerf Armchair. It is very simple in design without excessive decoration.

In 1922 Theo van Doesburg, the founder of the De Stijl movement conducted a course close to the Bauhaus. Doesburg was completely against the artistic approach the Bauhaus was taking, so he introduced the clear, constructivist forms of the De Stijl movements to the students there. After this introduction this influence broadened in 1922.

This influence can be clearly seen in Marcel Breuer chair 1923. Breuer was a great admirer of the De Stijl movement and we are going to see more famous chairs created by him in the style of Rietveld between 1921 and 1929.

Reitveld Red and Blue Chair.

Other examples of Marcel Breuer are:

Arm Chair B35, 1928-1929.

Cesca Side Chair (model B32) 1928

Club Chair (B3) 1927-1928

It can be seen that the design is becoming less decorative even from the previous ones. He is making use of tubular steel in which it is bent to create the legs and frame as a whole and as a one entity.

Later Social idealism joins commercial reality in which art meets the industry. They are exploiting new technologies. There was function with the fixation and rationality.

During this movement we have Walter Gropius who is very important and like Frank Lloyd Wright did, he is going to work on the fact that a building is considered as a whole. To him construction is an important social, symbolic and intellectual endeavour.

The Gropius House was built for Gropius family after he had moved from Germany to America. This house was the first of its kind in America and had a great impact on people, so much so that they were describing it as “the new Industrial Style”. It was innovative, asymmetric and simplistic compared to the Victorian houses found at the time. It was so even on the inside since it is considered as a whole. Yet it has a dramatic feel to it, for instance in the dining room there is a spotlight recessed in the ceiling which only covers the diameter of the table while leaving the diners in the dark. Also the interior keeps to the Bauhaus principles which Gropius had founded. He makes use of simple forms as well as simple lines making the whole building simplistic.

It is such an innovative house that today we are trying to go back to this simplicity instead of all the Pop colours and ideas we had in the 90’s era. In fact today we are going through this transition from that chaotic way of life to the simplistic yet with a hint of fun.

“We will always be modern, our design always essential”

(Frames, Issue 89. Page 047) such designs are still being produced today.

These Lammhults Chairs, Series S70 are looking back at the Bauhaus designs such as the Arm Chair B35 as well as the Cesca Side Chair (model B32). As quoted from the Lammhults site itself “Bo Lindenkrantz and Börge Lindau brought their playful, colourful and joyful attitude to Lammhults.”

Cesca Side Chair (model B32)   and     Arm Chair B35

Bonluxat. UN. Henry van de Velde Bloemenwerf Armchair. [online] Available at: http://www.bonluxat.com/a/Henry_van_de_Velde_Bloemenwerf_Armchair.html [Accessed on 15^th November 2013]

Simon Glynn 1999 (updated 2004). Walter Gropius House, Lincoln MA. [online] Available at: http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/gropiushouse/  [Accessed on 15^th November 2013]

Hauffer T. 1998.design a concise history. London. Laurence King Publishing.