Post 4 Bauhaus- Eric Ng

          In the early 1900’s, when arts and technology were separating, an art movement brought the two back together again. Bauhaus was a combination of Cubism and Des Stijl. It sought to bring all sorts of artists from different backgrounds together. These artists thought about how “Form Follows Function” in all their pieces.  This means that all their work should have a nice easy flow that is easy to understand while still having purpose.

            The leader of the Bauhaus movement was a man named Walter Gropius. He designed and formed the Bauhaus School of Design. With the advancement in technology, more and more factories were being built, thus more machines were being invented to help make mass production easier. For centuries, fine arts and architecture walked side by side, moving along with the times. With this new advancement in technology, there was a slight division between the two of them. Gropius hoped to “…reunite the applied arts and manufacturing, and to reform education. “(Borteh) He designed the building with Form Follows Function in mind. He was very cautious of space and light. He designed each side of the building with glass walls, which filled up the building with natural light. Gropius designed the interior as well as the exterior of the building using the steel lines (beams) as geometric lines as in a Des Stijl painting. The building itself had the Bauhaus mentality all over it. Gropius created mass production in the sense that he called for steel beams and glass windows to be produced. He saw what painters were doing at the time and incorporated those styles within the architecture. His buildings had a simple, modern design.  In the end, Gropius wanted the arts to be one and work with each other again and he wanted the school to be a place were graphic artists, architects, fine artists and industrial designers collaborate and learn from each other.

            Bauhaus became one of the most influential movements of its time because architects were designing buildings that were running side by side with modern artists of the times. All of the sudden, people were starting to see Des Stijl and Cubism paintings come to life! These people were able to interact with these arts, going in and out of these buildings. It allowed the artists to manufacture their art in a way that was never done before- not only in architecture but in the visual arts too! Bauhaus taught designers and artists how to keep things simple while still having  huge impact and meaning behind their work. It is a lesson that young designers and artists are still learning today.

            

         Bauhaus still influences art, architecture and design to this day. Le Corbusier, who was one of the most influential architects (to this day), designed the Villa Savoye. It was a residential home to the Savoye family and is now a historical monument in France. At first glance, one would think that the home is floating. The indoor and outdoor space, play with each other in harmony.  The whole house was the Bauhaus form which plays with the geometric lines of Des Stijl and the organic forms of Cubism. The exterior strongly displays the geometric lines while the interior has the organic shapes. When one first walks into the room, he will notice the curved ramp that leads up into the house. The kitchen displays all of these same shapes that are found throughout the whole house. The sinks, faucets and bidet are all mass-produced. Anyone (during those times) could pick one of these appliances out at a hardware store and have it in their own home. In the bathroom, one can see the geometric shapes of Cubism within the tile wall and the geometric shape of the bathtub. The bathtub was one of the most popular and most wanted models at this time. Both the tub and the wall were really expensive and people all over wanted them.  

            Everything within the Villa Savoye had unity. The designs that one would find inside would also be found outside on the terrace. All the forms flow into nature and are one.  The architectural designs in and out of the Villa not only flow into each other, the furniture that Le Corbusier designed for the home was also a key part in continuing the flow. He designed the furniture in away that works with the home. He keeps his chairs simple by creating a simple lined structure (that one would see in a Des Stijl painting) and added his padding to it. Today we can see this in modern day furniture designers, such as Muller and Van Severen when they “…Collaborated to create Zetel” (TheCoolist). The Zetel is a Bauhaus inspired piece, which is constructed with a frame and consists of cloth to hold people. On one side, there is a lounge chair while next to it is a regular chair. In between the two pieces is a built-in lamp. Everything about this piece has Le Corbusier’s influence in it.

            In conclusion, Bauhaus did accomplish what it set out to do. It brought the arts back along-side mass-production. It brought architecture to a whole new level where it has become the standard for our everyday living. Because of it, we have skyscrapers and fundamentals for design work. It made art into an interactive place where people can experience it first hand. Without Bauhaus, our modern world would be a very different place.

Work Citied:

Borteh, Larissa. TheArtStory.org. 2012. December 2012 <http://www.theartstory.org/movement-bauhaus.htm>.

TheCoolist. thecoolist.com. December 2012 <http://www.thecoolist.com/zetel-furniture-by-fien-muller-and-hannes-van-severen/>.

(Hunter, Jacobus and Wheeler)

Photos:
Bauhaus School of Design
Villa Savoye
Zetel