The Bauhaus and Rise of Modern Design
In 2019 we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the century’s most influential school of art and design, the Bauhaus in Germany. From that pivotal era the term ‘modern’ became entrenched in our vocabulary as celebrating something new or current. It has also come to mean cutting edge.
Bauhaus at Dessau
Modernism has become synonymous with the design philosophy ‘form follows function’. An unornamented aesthetic that, in it’s inception, played counterpoint to design styles of the day such as Art Nouveau (celebrating the replication of nature through elaborate forms and one-of-a-kind hand crafted items). Modern design followed such movements as Art Deco and Art Moderne but less decorative still with more geometric and repetitive elements.
Josef Hartwig Chess Set 1923
Pieces are designed to reflect their movement
Door Handle by Walter Gropius
Pendant Lamp by Marianne Brandt 1925
The Bauhaus, opened in 1919, was later closed under pressure from the Nazi party for being too communist. In its’ age the school relocated several times. Students of both genders lived, learned and worked together to promoted the philosophy of a new industrialism, born from a rapid evolution of thought and technique. While promoted as an gender equal commune, it is known that women were more often relegated to textiles and pottery while industrial design and later architecture, were more the domain of male teachers and students.
The looms of Bauhaus
“Architects, sculptors, painters, … we must return to manual work. Let us therefore create a new guild of craftsmen, free of the divisive class pretensions that endeavored to raise a prideful barrier between craftsmen and artists!”
Walter Gropius
Tea Infuser and Strainer by Marianne Brandt 1924
Fabrics and textiles, visual and performance art, sculpture, painting and industrial design emerged as a utopian expression under headmaster Walter Gropius. The products of Bauhaus were experimental, dynamic and distinctly removed from what had come before. Objects were designed for reproduction on a large scale making them available and affordable for more people.
New Visionary Modern
Color theory was taught by a succession of prominent artists Johannes Itten, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and Josef Albers (who continued to refine and define color theory into the 1970’s). Each sough to decipher and define color adding to the debate on personal experience and interpretation of the effects of color. These foundations including the expression of warm and cool color are taught globally today. Interestingly, the expression of color in art and fabrics did not transfer to the architectural influence of Bauhaus which for the most part remained static and monochromatic.
Colour Sphere in 7 Light Values and 12 Tones by Johannes Ittens
Castle and Sun by Paul Klee 1928
On White II by Wassily Kandinsky 1923
Many Bauhaus products designed a century ago have become iconic - recognizable and commercially available today. Be wary of cheap and cheesy knock-offs. Knoll Furniture began producing many ‘classic modern’ furniture pieces after original copyrights expired and to this day make the highest quality versions true to the original designs.
Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer 1925
Futura Font based on triangles, circles and squares 1927
The Barcelona Chair by Meis van der Rohe
The ‘less is more chair’ designed for the 1929 International Exhibition in Barcelona, Spain
Although Walter Gropius was a practicing architect while heading the Bauhaus, building design was not initially a focus of the school. Modernism as a practical new business model motivated the school and the movement.
Commerce Industry Profit
This theme we will see re-emerge as Mid-Century Modernism takes foothold in the United States following the second world war.
In 1920’s and 30’s architecture, contemporary modernists Mies van der Rohe, Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier developed their own interpretations of the philosophy across Europe and North America and the first International Style of architecture began to take shape.
Villa Savoye - Designed by Le Corbusier and completed in Poissy, France 1931 and considered to be the first significant modern home. Constructed in reinforced concrete the design has no interior bearing walls. It is designed for light, open spaces, views and a connection with nature. It is also designed to accommodate motor car parking beneath. The design evolved many times over several years in response to budget which in the end doubled the original proposed cost. True to Le Corbusier’s doctrine the structure is devoid of color and warmth, plying instead to purist forms and minimalism.
Villa Mairea by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto in Noormarkkau was completed in 1939. Aalto’s early career (while teaching at the Bauhaus) produced commercial and multi-family buildings with a Scandinavian interpretation of modernism - flowing curvilinear forms with warm, natural materials to provide comfort through the long cold winters of northern Europe. This project is a single family home commissioned as an ‘experimental house’ by the owners.
The German pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona World Exhibition by Mies van der Rohe. Originally designed as a temporary structure that survived only a few months, it is one of the century’s most admired modern structures. From the original drawings and specifications, this exact replica was opened in Barcelona in 1986 to a resurgence of purist modern designers.