Art + Craft + Technology = Bauhaus
You know how there are things that you don't know much about but you like them anyway? That's how I feel about Bauhaus (both the band and the art school, but I am focusing on the school here. Skip to the end if you're here for the music.)
If you asked me what I know about it, I would say something about form and function. And then something about Art Deco, which...well, let's just say it is time to educate myself.
The Bauhaus School was a physical school that operated from three different locations in Germany between 1919 and 1933. It was made possible by the changing, liberal political climate following World War 1 and the fall of the German monarchy. Elitism was out. Modernism, with its simplified forms and possibilities for mass production, was already developing.
Bauhaus style is known for the lack of unnecessary ornamentation. This is where the form and function comes in - if it is a chair, for example, the beauty of it should be in service to its purpose which is to sit on.
Now, compare that chair to this Rococo one and you'll see what I mean:
Bauhaus sought to bring good design and the beauty of purpose (a beauty that could be mass produced and enjoyed by all classes) to the people. It married art, craft and technology, extending its influence to architecture, weaving, furniture, ceramics and the arts.
The Bauhaus School closed for good in 1933 due to pressure from the Nazi regime that felt the school was a hotbed of communist intellectualism. Many of the teachers and artists involved left Germany, taking the Bauhaus philosophy with them and spreading it throughout the world.
Interestingly, some of them congregated in Chicago to create the art institute there. Have you noticed that Chicago is at the heart of many cool art stories? Hmm - more on that some other day.
Whew! That was a lot of work. As promised, here is the other Bauhaus, originally named Bauhaus 1919 in honour of the Bauhaus style of the 1920s.
Happy Monday!
Nice one and a very cool bridge you've created from Bauhaus to Bauhaus :)
I couldn't leave the band out. Peter Murphy is the man! Tried to find a video for Hollow Hills as I like it better, but no luck. Thanks for reading!
Very cool! I know a lot about the band but not the movement. Thanks!