This week, we learned about the Bauhaus, which started off as a prewar art school in Germany. It became so well known and iconic that it is now its own style, characterised by its simplicity, form, and geometric designs. It was inspired by modernism and was anti war. The bauhaus school was closed by nazis in 1933, due to the unfortunate fact that the nazi party viewed their artwork as not ‘German’ enough.
Walter Gropius (1883-1976)
Walter founded the Bauhaus in 1919. His key belief was that ‘forms follow function’ and the merging of craftsmanship with modern technology. His main focus was architecture, he designed the original Bauhaus building which at its time was a landmark for modernist architecture.
Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944)
Wassily was a teacher at the Bauhaus, joining in 1922. His main area of research was the exploration of how shapes and colours can evoke emotion, and even spiritual ideas. He believed that every colour had a direct psychological effect, such as yellow = warm and comforting. He was also one of the first artists to move away from painting real life objects, and move towards abstraction.
Marcel Breuer (1902-1981)
Marcel was a modern architect and furniture designer. He is mainly remembered for his creation of the Wassily chair, a revolutionary piece that truly spoke for the schools focus on functionality and an increasing use of industrial metals.
