The Bauhaus

The Bauhaus

The Bauhaus was a school in Germany and aimed to combine the elements of crafts and fine arts and break their barriers with industrial production. It was founded in 1919 in Weimar by Walter Gropius who was also known as a German architect.

Prior to the Bauhaus, little thought was given to the design of products.

The students of Bauhaus specialized in workshops which consisted of metal work, cabinet making, weaving, pottery, wall painting and typography.

The most popular workshop was the cabinet making which was directed by Marcel Breuer.
Breuer’s theory was that ‘eventually chairs would become obsolete, replaced by supportive columns or air.’ So the aspect of function was as important as design. Breuer experimented by producing lightweight and mass producible metal furniture such as chairs.

Before his career in architecture took off, Breuer designed this chair which had a revolutionary modern-industrial look at the time. The supporting pipes of steal gave the chair both structure and the look. Versions of his chairs continue to be in production till today.

In 1923, the emphasis was placed on ‘designing for mass production’ and the new slogan was ‘Art into Industry’.

Metal working was also one of the popular workshops at the Bauhaus. Designers including Marianne Brant, Wilhelm Wagenfeld and Christian Dell created aesthetically pleasing, successful modern designs like tables and lighting appliances. Brandt was actually the very first woman to participate in the metal working studio. She became studio director in 1928. Her designs are ‘iconic expressions of the Bauhaus aesthetic.’

Gunta Stolzls woven design.

The textiles/weaving workshop consisted of women. The women were discouraged to participate in other workshops. Under direction of Gunta Stolzl, the students produced abstract textiles which decorated the Bauhaus environment. In this workshop, colour theory was studied along with the ‘technical aspects of weaving.’

The students were exposed to many materials and were encouraged to improve design in everyday items.

During world war 11, The school in Germany was closed and some of the Bauhaus key figures moved to America.

Bauhaus – Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia. 2013 [ONLINE] Available at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus

The Bauhaus (Germany) 1919-1930. 2013 [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.technologystudent.com/prddes1/bauhaus1.html

The Bauhaus, 1919-1933, Thematic Essay, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2013 [ONLINE] Available at:  http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bauh/hd_bauh.htm