Founded on the idea of combining all of the arts into one total artwork, the Bauhaus movement operated between 1919 and 1933 famously making public the idea of combining fine arts and crafts. Walter Gropius, a German architect at the time, started the Bauhaus movement in Weimer, Germany. Gropius based his work on the harmony between form and function. The Bauhaus movement constantly dealt with the question of craftsmanship and mass production and the relationship between usefulness and beauty. Many of the issues that the Bauhaus movement confronted then are the same that designers are being faced with today.
Gropius wanted to break down the barrier between classes, which he believed created the difference between craft and fine art. He believed that well designed items could reach beyond class. Again this is an issue that is prevalent in today’s design world. Many designers today are working to make their designs accessible to everyone, reaching beyond class. The style that came out of the Bauhaus movement attempted to run parallel to the world that was forming around it, a world that needed mass-produced, functional, and cheap items. Artists were trained to work within the guidelines of the industry around them.
The main objective of the Bauhaus movement was to unify craft, art, and technology. They believed heavily in the machine, and the idea of a preliminary design course rather than design history. The Bauhaus movement created a new way of thinking that has transposed into design today.
Image: Bauhaus Movement Poster. Image from http://visualspy.com/week-eight-design-art-history
No comments:
Post a Comment