World War 1 brought about a drastic change in many countries, a prominent one being Germany. Its people were left with little to no source of income; each day was a struggle. This negative outlook on life inspired the younger generation of the time, and significant others, to bring about a change - a positive one - which would inspire the people to look and work towards a brighter future, not just for Germany, but for the rest of the world. One of the significant leaders of architecture at the time was Walter Gropius, who came up with the idea of opening a school - the Bauhaus.
The Bauhaus school was originally located in Weimar, Germany, were Gropius united the two separate art schools to which he was appointed as head. Further along the years, the Bauhaus school moved to Dessau (which was designed by Gropius himself, and which to this day remains one of the most famous icons in architecture), and later to Berlin, where it was ultimately closed by the Nazis in 1933. Tutors who were assigned to teach at the Bauhaus include Paul Klee, Marcel Breuer and Wassily Kandinsky.
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| Bauhaus school in Dessau |
Although the word Bauhaus is coined from the word 'Hausbau' which means 'house construction', the Bauhaus University in Weimer defines the term as “an eagerness to experiment, openness, creativity, a close link to industrial practice and inter-nationality." If one were to make a list of points which characterise the Bauhaus, we would find that this definition is quite suitable. As mentioned earlier, the economy was in a state of misery. This led to a lack of resources therefore the tutors at the school encouraged its students to produce designs which were economic and highly functional, while not ignoring craftsmanship and form. More importantly, the tutors stressed the importance of designing with mass-produced goods in mind.
The objective behind the Bauhaus was to unite the arts: architecture, sculpture and painting, and train its students to become tomorrow's designers - ones who are capable of producing beautiful but functional objects in line with the modernist view that was taught and practiced at the time. Students who enrolled in the school had to follow courses so as to study materials and colours, amongst other subjects. Furthermore, as the students progressed, they were assigned specialized workshops, some of which included typography, cabinet-making, metal-working and wall painting. Several characteristics, such as the use of geometric forms, different materials and bold colours are reflected in the different artistic and design works produced by students and tutors alike at the time.
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| Barcelona Chair - Mies van de Rohe |
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| Wassily Chair - Marcel Breuer |
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| Tea infuser and strainer - Marianne Brandt |
Even though it was founded in 1919, the influence of the Bauhaus can still be seen in today's design world; one of these being the fashion industry The images below show pieces from the Autumn/Winter 2014/2015 collections by renowned fashion houses Givenchy and Prada.
For example, the tailored mens' suits in the Givenchy collections all have neutral or colourful banding at the pockets of the trousers. Miuccia Prada opts to design womens' dresses using bold prints and bright colours.
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| Prada collection Autumn/Winter 2014/2015 |
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| Givenchy collection Autumn/Winter 2014/2015 |
References
Covert, A. (2015). 8 Beautiful Products of Bauhaus: The Single Most Influential School of Design. [online] Gizmodo. Available at: http://gizmodo.com/5918142/8-beautiful-things-from-bauhaus-the-single-most-influential-school-of-design [Accessed 18 Dec. 2014].
Metmuseum.org, (2015). The Bauhaus, 1919–1933 | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [online] Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bauh/hd_bauh.htm [Accessed 18 Dec. 2014].
Moma.org, (2015). MoMA - Explore Bauhaus. [online] Available at: http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2009/bauhaus/Main.html [Accessed 18 Dec. 2014].
Ross, S. (2009). Bauhaus: Ninety Years of Inspiration - Smashing Magazine. [online] Smashing Magazine. Available at: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/08/02/bauhaus-ninety-years-of-inspiration/ [Accessed 18 Dec. 2014].
style.com, (2015). Givenchy Fall 2014 Menswear - Collection - Gallery - Style.com. [online] Available at: http://www.style.com/slideshows/fashion-shows/fall-2014-menswear/givenchy/collection/52 [Accessed 18 Dec. 2014].
style.com, (2015). Givenchy Fall 2014 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show: Runway Review - Style.com. [online] Available at: http://www.style.com/fashion-shows/fall-2014-ready-to-wear/givenchy [Accessed 18 Dec. 2014].
The Cut, (2015). Prada. [online] Available at: http://nymag.com/thecut/runway/2014/fall/milan/rtw/prada/33/ [Accessed 18 Dec. 2014].
Vogue.com.au, (2015). The new Bauhaus gallery. [online] Available at: http://www.vogue.com.au/fashion/trends/galleries/the+new+bauhaus,31363?pos=0 [Accessed 18 Dec. 2014].
