17- Bauhaus

Bauhaus School, Dessau, Walter Gropius

-can be considered manifest of new architecture -reinforced concrete structure -plan starts from the functionality of spaces -volumes have diff. heights -windows are thought out functionally -big glass walls -can see into other spaces/connection to outdoors (transparency)

Monument dedicated to fallen in battle in March, 1922, Gropius

-dedication building erected in Weimart cemetery -movement represents the fracture of an equilibrium

Sommerfeld House Walter Gropius & Adolf Meyer Berlin, Germany 1921-1922

-reference to Wright's prairie house -To Gropius, Wright is the hero of Morris' prophecy -attention for rustic material, hatchet work, woodworking -the interest is not so much in the material itself but in the form the material acquired -furniture, reliefs, dry goods were all work at the Bauhaus= craftmanship

Modern Architecture

-represented well by Bauhaus in Dessau -search for the essence of shape as Cezanne did in his paintings -shapes fragmented, dissected, searching for pure forms -cones, cubes, spheres, cylinders -Picasso is perfect representation of going back to the essence of things, pushing the idea towards a third (even fourth) dimension

C. Rowe definition of "transparency"

-result of a meeting between the aesthetic of a machine and the cubist fragmentation of reality

Cocktail Table E 1027

Eileen Gray, 1927, inspired by Bauhaus design -inspired by recent tubular steel structure experiences of Breuer at Bauhaus (who was inspired by Stam)

D 42 Bauhaus Armchair

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1927

Wassily Chair

Marcel Breuer, 1923

Coffee and Tea set

Marianne Brandt, 1924

Tea Pot

Marianne Brandt, 1927

Cantilever Chair

Mart Stam, with & without armrests, 1926

Architecture behind glass

-Bauhaus School in Dessau -Fagus Factory -allows for interior view of workings -Gropius designed various section differently according to their function -positioned wings asymmetrically -no central view of building, form can only be grasped by moving around the building

Arbeitsrat fur Kunst

-Founded in 1918, the activist group of artists and architects who called themselves the "Workers for Art" sought to participate in the restructuring of German society after the collapse of the government upon its defeat in the First World War. -union of architects, painters, sculptors, artists, writers

Bauhaus School in Weimar

-It was in the school of arts and crafts that Gropius summoned international avant-garde artists to teach workshops ranging from textiles to metalworking, cabinet making and typography with a focus on the intersection of form and function -the school was later moved to Dessau where Gropius emphasized the importance of designing for mass production -out of this "art into industry" idea came lightweight mass producible metal chairs and steel-frame construction, among other modern elements

Transparency

-negation of form -form of the volume is scarcely perceived -transparence represents an architecture which wants to show itself as a machine -implies a broader spatial order because of overlapping surfaces it allows to perceive all at once like in a cubist painting by Braque or Picasso -new ways of representation used in desigh: axonometry, orthogonal projection in place of perspective

Johannes Itten philosophy

-a foundation in color, material and composition is crucial to the pursuit of any artistic endeavor

Neoplasticism

-a movement that is an extension of Cubism, in which the action of color and forms are reduced to utter simplicity by strict adherence to simple geometric shapes -volumetric fragmentation -scission of volumes in free plane -the attention on junction points

Bauhaus School Curriculum

-described by Gropius in the manner of a wheel -outer ring: represents the vorkurs, a six month prelim course by Johannes Itten which concentrated on practical form analysis (study of color, forms, materials) -2 middle rings: represented 2 3-year courses, the formlehre, focused on problems related to form, the second course werklehre, a practical workshop instruction that emphasized technical craft skills -center of ring: courses specialized in building construction -less is more philosophy (primary colors, basic forms) (unique, look handcrafted, but could be mass produced)

Bauhaus School, Dessau, Walter Gropius

-designed by Gropius -interior fittings made in Bauhaus workshop -plan does not represent a rigit unitary body, but a articulated composition of volumes built on the urban texture by avoiding to interrupt or create a facture in urban life -form conveys idea of movement (similar to Sommerfeld house and Monument of Fallen in March) -building bridge over street and auditorium are the place from which the force is dissipated in entire structure

1. Walter Gropius, 2. Hannes Meyer, 3. Mies van der Rohe

-directors of Bauhaus school

Bauhaus School, Dessau, Director's House

-façade was only one to feature asymmetrically arranged windows -sides facing away from street have terraces and balconies -plan disposition

Haus am Horn (experimental house)

-first example of a machine-to-dwell -completely equipped with facilities to make the space function, efficient, hygienic, health -modern -furniture is designed by school students as well

Visual Elements of Bauhaus School seen today

-geometrical shapes -simplicity -elegance of design -primary colors, especially red -geometric abstract art -pattern making -poster art -graphic design examples -conceptual approach to aesthetics -simplicity, refusal of ornamentation -playfulness -investigation of color -minimalism

Bauhaus

-german word meaning "house of building", was a school founded by architect Walter Gropius -goal was to reunite applied arts and manufacturing to reform education -school to show a new respect for craft and technique in all artistic media, suggested a return to arts and crafts -included fine art, industrial design, graphic design, typography, interior design, architecture -combining beauty with usefulness

Main Elements of Bauhaus school, Dessau

-glass-fronted three-story workshop wing (connected to vocational school by bridge that houses administration, Gropius private office located here)(connected to studio by one-story building where auditorium, stage and canteen are located) -three-story building for the vocational school -five-story studio building (housed students and junior masters) (28 flats, measuring 20 m2)

Preparatory course- Bauhaus School

-mandatory -under direction of Johannes Itten -expressing individual creativity through collages of different materials and texture, students were given raw materials and asked to make a composition

Bauhaus Furniture Design

-needs of people instead of need for luxury -plain and simply products -Bauhaus production was a design revolution

Picasso's Le Demoiselles d'Avignon & Gropius' Bauhaus similarities

-new space-time dimension highlight b transparency -horizontal planes -impossible to perceive within a single perspective -necessary to move around to appreciate them as cubist ideas

Walter Gropius: the new architecture and the Bauhaus

-new spatial vision -new concept of building based on the realities of society -traditional raw materials of construction are suspended by steel, concrete, and glass -structure is a framework which can be filled with transparency -inner space completely changes -thickness of walls had been reduced -flat roof is superseding the old penthouse roof -suppressing of rain-pipes and hanging gutters -standardization is not an impediment -goal is to reach a technical proficiency that allows to repeat the constructions with a number of components parts assembled in different compositions

Three phases of Bauhaus education

-observation (study of the reality and theory of materials- the part of reality we can appreciated by means of our view and sense) -representation/drawing (theory of perspective or projection, theory of design construction, drawings and models) - composition (theory of space, theory of color, theory of composition)

Oskar Schlemmer/ Bauhaus School/ Lecturer

-outstanding lecturer at Bauhaus -spatiality of the wall -ballet

Kandisky and Klee's House

-primary colors -form

Theo van Doesburg's influence on Bauhaus

-promoted De Stijl principles and was later asked by Gropius to leave the school -his influence of neoplasticism was significant, even building designed by Gropius was affected by these volumetric fragmentation

Architecture is understood as a "collective activity"

-resulting from the will of an entire community, the result of Volksgeist + zeitgeist

Bauhaus School in Weimar, Germany

-revolutionized art world -mission: to unify art, design and crafts as a symbol of a new and coming future -after first world war, the Weimar Republic became the first-ever democracy in Germany -Weimar became the new political and social center which attracted many free spirits -Weimar also know as "the Cultural Capital of Europe"

Bauhaus School/ principles and ideas

-school wants to get away from unreal art for art's sake -uniting all branches of arts under the name of architecture -handcrafted and industry meet through creation of new aesthetics

Neue Sachlikeit (new objectivity)

-sometimes translated as New Sobritety, name given to the modern architecture that emerged in Europe, primarily german-speaking Europe -found its roots from the artistic avant garde and the expressionist movement -characterized by gesamkunstwerk (cultural environment) and spirit found in Feininger's expressionist xhylography which represents medieval cathedral with lights all round (a shining cathedral) -cathedral chosen as symbol of gesamkunstwerk because the cathedral employed the workd of architects, painters, sculptors, craftsmen, goldsmith, woodwork, textile-worker, etc. -functional architecture with abstract elements (new building technology) -architects of this new objectivity were eager to build as much cost-effective housing as possible

Bauhaus School/ Moholy-Nagy philosophy

-took the place of Johannes Itten as teach of prep course - focus on the course: revealing the static and aesthetic properties of freestanding asymmetrical structures

Bauhaus School under Hannes Meyer

-under him the school's intention shifted towards the social function of design, designing for public good -Meyer resigned 2 years later due to the pressure of right-wing gov. -passed the reigns to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe who relocated Bauhaus to Berlin to escape local political pressures but was eventually forced by Nazi's to shut the school down -Mies van der Rohe established "New Bauhaus " at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago

Bauhaus cont'd

-various course held by renowned arts such as Klee and Kandinsky -1925 Bauhaus moved to Dessaur where Gropius designed new buildings for the school that would later become trademark of modern architecture (frame structures made of steel or glass facades) -Bauhaus considered home of avant-guard of classical modern in all fields of liberal and applied arts

Curriculum (Bauhuas)

1. Practical Instruction 2. Formal Instruction 3. Aspect 4. Representation 5. Design 6. Preparatory Instruction 7. Technical Instruction 8. Structural Instruction