Bauhaus Essay

The Bauhaus is perhaps Germany’s most important cultural contribution of the twentieth century. Nearly a hundred years after its foundation by Walter Gropius in 1919 as an art school in the town of Weimar, the Bauhaus 'has become a concept, indeed a catchphrase all over the world. ' Droste (2006) . Its manifesto states – 'The ultimate aim of all creative activity is building. ' Influenced by William Morris, Walter Gropius wanted to bring fine arts, which traditionally were perceived as more prestigious, and the industrial world together, which would change the focus of design theories from aesthetics to practicality. Unlike Morris ' ideals for entirely handmade goods that everyone should have access to, Gropius emphasized functionalism through

Stylistic characteristic of it is simplicity in multiplicity. This holds true especially for fabrics. Bauhaus textiles share a unified approach, they are progress-oriented in their acceptance of novel fibres, advances in technology and machine aesthetic. Colours were either primary or restricted to restrained neutrals. Weaving had a natural vertical/horizontal nature that lends itself to geometric and textural units as well as to stripes and small repeat effects. Above all, Bauhaus textiles valued structure, not too imposed, but rather derived from complex understanding of the material itself. What has now become commonplace – geometric design in stacked units, light/dark juxtapositions and transposed elements in a multiplicity of variations was explored for the first time by Bauhaus weavers. The architectural qualities in the textiles are evident in Gunta Stolzl 's blanket (put image), which makes a strong statement in an otherwise bland interior. Stolzl 's work reveals the maturity of an artist-designer who has intergrated formal and aesthetic concepts and applied both to the end

A novelty was the use of aluminum and of the pulling device. In 1927 she designed the Kandem bedside lamp, with an adjustable reflector for indirect lighting a push-button that would make 'switching easier even when one is half-awake '. The lamp is made out of steel and glass for the base, an unusual feature due to the material shortage during WWII. It was produced by the Leipzig firm, Korting and Matthieson. Numerous lamps followed, and Kandem had sold more than 50.000 Bauhaus lamps in a matter of a few years. Kandem-Bauhaus models that were made by different members of the metal workshop, were also presented in many exhibitions. Brandt quickly rose to the position of workshop assistant and succeeded Moholy as the workshop 's director in 1928, serving in the post for one year and negotiating some of the most important Bauhaus contracts for collaborations with industry. One of the most important contributions Bauhaus made to the Modern Movement was changing the way materials are perceived and forming 'a new approach to the teaching and practice of design, which believed that good design served the needs of the ordinary people, of the workers. ' Anscombe