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Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s The B auhaus H i sto r y ( 1919~ 1933) ........................... 1 -2 The Fai lure t hat B ro ught Success ................... ........ 3 -4 I t ’s all ab o ut Educ at i o n
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“One i s af ter all, an Ar t ist ”
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B i b li go rap hy, Co lo p ho n
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The Bauhaus movement was a period from 1919 to 1933 that revolutionized the arts. It comes from a school in Germany that taught the style where the combination of architectural practice and design was merged with craftsmanship. “Bauhaus” is a German word that implies the philosophy of the movement. The word refers to a place where buildings are built; “Building Workshop” is the literal translation. Bauhaus became one of the most famous and most progressive institutions in the twentieth century. The Bauhaus school was founded in the Weimar Republik period of Germany by a German architect, Walter Gropius in 1919.
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The Bauhaus History (1919~1933)
The school went through three periods: The Weimar from 1919 to 1925, Dessau period 1925 to 1932, and the Berlin period from 1932 to 1933. The Bauhaus operated under three different architect-directors: Walter Gropius, Hannes Meyer, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The school operated for many years and in 1933, the school was forced to close under pressure from the Nazi regime, which became the dominant political force in Germany after the fall of the Weimar Republik. The Bauhaus movement had a far-reaching impact on modern architecture. Today, the Bauhaus word does not only refer to the school, but the architectural style and the advocacy that focused on architectural styling and practical functionality as one entity. In addition, the Bauhaus movement had also a significant impact not only on the field of construction, but also on the fields of art, industrial design, graphic design, interior design, modern drama, and modern art. It brought together a number of the most outstanding contemporary architects and artists with this one ideal.
Bauhaus Architecture in Dessau Walter Gropius 1925-26 Gropiusallee 38, 06846 Dessau-RoĂ&#x;lau, Germany
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T h e Fa i l u r e t h a t B r o u g h t S u c c e s s Isn’t it that bad things are sometimes a necessary evil, isn’t it that bad things often bring us good? The Bauhaus movement is nothing more than a case of this. With an idealistic philosophy of unification of the arts and architecture, the school sought to bring to the masses a non-conformist approach to design, ideas which the government of the time considered “Bolshevik” or communist. The very ideals, with which the school was founded, brought the movement its great influence as well as its demise. The destruction of the Bauhaus movement was carried out by the Nazi regime, which at the height of its influence was set on minimizing ideas considered communist from the general public in order to secure the regime’s existence without ideological opposition. The new Nazi regime forced the resignation of many great professors from Bauhaus because they were thought of as “Cultural Bolsheviks” and substituted them for sympathizers of the Nazi regime. This Nazi sympathizing faculty in turn, decided to dissolve the school, marking the tragedy of the end of the Bauhaus movement as an institution. Nevertheless the Bauhaus movement had a deep influence in its short existence. It spread its design philosophy around the world and secured its position as a historical movement across many art disciplines. The failure of the Bauhaus school to continue its existence did not mean that the things they created ceased to exist, as most of the architects and designers went on to the United States after being pressured by the Nazi regime; here they flourished and continued the spread of the Bauhaus ideals that still inspire us today.
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I t ’s a l l a b o u t E d u c a t i o n True education is concerned not only with practical goals, but also with values. Our aims assure us of our material life, our values make possible our sp iritual life. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Marcel Breuer B3 “Wassily Chair” 1925
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After Moholy-Nagy, the Bauhaus moved to another city due to pressure from a more conservative Weimar government. The Bauhaus was moved to the city of Dessau where a building was designed and built purposely for the school, it is during this period that the philosophy and style of Bauhaus completely matured and it is here that the full breadth of the influence and Bauhaus took force. The influential magazine “Bauhaus” was published during this period; this magazine spread the ideas of Bauhaus design to its readers.
Figure 1 Oskar Schlemmer Bauhaus logo 1922
During the Weimar years, Bauhaus saw the replacement of the movements of expressionism and medievalism to applied art, one where technology and art work together with hand-craftsmanship. The first logo of Bauhaus [Figure1] shows the evolution of this shift in ideas [Logo Image and brief description on the usage of geometric shapes produced in machines]. During this time the Bauhaus saw the full development of its core ideals. Its philosophy draws its roots from Johannes Itten (1888-1967). He wanted his students not to see any difference between fine art and applied art. He freed the students’ creative abilities, familiarized them the properties of materials, and taught the fundamental principles of visual art and perceptual awareness. His teachings promoted their intellectual abilities and emotional experiences. Johannes Itten Süderen-Linden/ Schweiz 1888 -Zürich 1967
Johannes Itten was replaced by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy a former law school student, Moholy-Nagy experimented with various new techniques that ranged from photography, acrylic, plastics, new sculpture techniques and graphic design. He was an avid photographer who believed that the combination of photography and typography would become a new type of “Visual Literature” where both disciplines can produce a better means of communication. He had a long lasting influence in the Bauhaus school by using the camera as a tool for design. His “photoplastics” were a new expression of photographic collages that were more creative and communicative.
Olly and Dolly Sisters, László Moholy-Nagy ca. 1925
My name is Bunny Rabbit, I know nothing, László Moholy-Nagy 1927
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Seagram Building Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Erected in 1956-58 375 Park Avenue, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
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“One is after all, an artist� The Bauhaus movement has had a profound impact on visual communications over the course of history, far more than anyone can imagine. It produced a modernist design style in architecture that went on to influence other arts. This influence allowed for things that were considered separate, such as art and information, to join together and create something far more powerful and communicative than ever before.
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“ If you contribution has been vital there will always be somebody to pick up where you left off, and that will be your claim to immortality.“ Walter Gropius
Simple Pendant Lamp Collection in in Simple Pendant Lamp Collection Bauhaus Shape, Bauhaus Shape Form Us WithbyLove Designed Form Us With Love forfor Design House Stockholm Design House Stockholm
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The Bauhaus movement is very important to the world today; it was the spark that ignited the fire of modernism and beautiful, simple design. It could be said that every work of design, architecture, or art created after this remarkable period of time, is influenced directly or indirectly by the Bauhaus. Because what they started in that small building in Germany, set the example for what beauty in unification of the arts means. It spread through the creativity of designers, the versatility of architects, and the appreciation of normal people around the world, as a force of good, a force that would lead humanity and civilization to a more beautiful and harmonious age.
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Bibliography Bauhaus Architecture in Dessau Gropiusallee 38, 06846 Dessau-Roßlau, Germany Walter Gropius,1925-26.
Simple Pendant Lamp Collection in Bauhaus Shape, Form Us With Love for Design House Stockholm
B3 “Wassily Chair” Marcel Breuer, 1925.
Johannes Itten Süderen-Linden/ Schweiz 1888 -Zürich 1967
Seagram Building 375 Park Avenue, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1956-58.
Olly and Dolly Sisters, László Moholy-Nagy ca. 1925
Bauhaus logo Oskar Schlemmer, 1922.
My name is Bunny Rabbit, I know nothing, László Moholy-Nagy 1927
Megg’s History of Graphic Design Philip B. Meggs, Alston W. Purvis
Colophon Bauhaus- Workshops of Modernity This catalog was designed & printed by Yi-Ting Chou. UTEP Fox Fine Art El Paso, Texas. 2012
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