The Bauhaus
The Bauhaus was a German school of design from 1919 to 1933. It was a movement that was strongly influenced by the outcomes of World War One and rejected the ideals of the past and embraced the age of the machine. By focusing on the materials and the eradication of superfluous decoration, the Bauhaus established a new ideal, which was, form following function. Through their manipulation of established and new products this enabled them to emphasise the very ‘materiality’ of the items they produced. They simplified design, rejoiced in the quintessential embodiment of the elements and deliberately did not attempt to hide any constructional components. No longer was there a standard response to these elements, as the importance of the material itself emerged. Although relatively short lived, this movement had a major impact on world architecture and design, which is still evident today.
The Bauhaus movement’s most obvious influence was on architecture. Its impact can be seen in both major and domestic projects. The school broke away from the previous ‘elaboration [and] incremental development of past models’ and heralded the notion that ‘modern life had been so thoroughly transformed by technology and social change’ as to warrant a radically different approach (Lewis 2001, p. 40). Their teachings embraced the importance of the ‘manual experience of materials’ (The Bauhaus, People, Places, Products and Philosophy 1996) and students were encouraged to work with industrial products such as mass produced steel and glass to envelop and reflect the idea of ‘purpose.’ It was their strong rejection of the past and tradition that enabled them to move away from the expected.
The Bauhaus developed this concept further as they ‘stripped away the decoration, and left clean lines of function’ (The Bauhaus, People, Places 1996). This concept continued to evolve until ultimately the form of an object was created in accordance with its purpose. An example of
The Bauhaus movement’s most obvious influence was on architecture. Its impact can be seen in both major and domestic projects. The school broke away from the previous ‘elaboration [and] incremental development of past models’ and heralded the notion that ‘modern life had been so thoroughly transformed by technology and social change’ as to warrant a radically different approach (Lewis 2001, p. 40). Their teachings embraced the importance of the ‘manual experience of materials’ (The Bauhaus, People, Places, Products and Philosophy 1996) and students were encouraged to work with industrial products such as mass produced steel and glass to envelop and reflect the idea of ‘purpose.’ It was their strong rejection of the past and tradition that enabled them to move away from the expected.
The Bauhaus developed this concept further as they ‘stripped away the decoration, and left clean lines of function’ (The Bauhaus, People, Places 1996). This concept continued to evolve until ultimately the form of an object was created in accordance with its purpose. An example of
Bibliography: Adlersey-Williams, H 2000, ‘Bauhaus: design or dogma,’ New Statesman, vol 129, iss 4473, Feb 14, p. 41, viewed March 17, 2003, from InfoTrac OneFile Database. The Bauhaus, People, Places, Products and Philosophy (n.d.), viewed March 30, 2003 <http://chrissnider.com/academic/bauhaus/pages/philosophy.html>. Harvey, M 2000, ‘Bumpy Bauhaus ride motoring,’ Financial Times, London, March 18, viewed March 30, 2003, from ProQuest Database. Inter ART Israel – Bauhaus in Tel Aviv, (n.d.), viewed March 30, 2003 <http://www.interart.co.il/bauhaus/bauhaus.html>. Lewis, M J 2001, ‘From Bauhaus to Bilbao,’ Commentary, New York, vol. 112, issue 2, September, pp. 40-45, viewed March 30, 2003, from ProQuest Database. Thorncroft, T 2000, ‘Back to Bauhaus: Antony Thorncroft on the revolutionary design movement whose ideas are still in fashion,’ Financial Times, London, February 26, p 7, viewed March 30, 2003, from ProQuest Database. Wullschlager, J 2002 ‘Cold, strict, severe – and moving: Visual Arts Paris: two linked exhibitions demonstrate a “community of creation” in the remarkable Bauhaus art school,’ Financial Times, London, July 12, viewed March 30, 2003, from ProQuest Database