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Was Bauhaus Art Pure Madness? When Less Means More!
Updated: 54 minutes ago
Bauhaus. The name can be hard to pronounce, but it made one thing clear: less can be more. The literal meaning of “Bauhaus” is "house of building" in German. Influenced by Modernism, Bauhaus art began in 1919 when German architect Walter Gropius tried to break the barriers between fine art and applied art.
He created an art school where students would be treated not only as great craftsmen but also as master artists. He turned his school into a laboratory, producing a modern community of designers. It was radical. It was bizarre. Why was it needed at all?
If you are curious about this art school and the ideals of the Bauhaus, continue reading till the end of the blog. We have noted some relevant questions regarding this remarkable yet fleeting phase in Western art.
What Was So Peculiar About the Bauhaus School?
The spell was short (1919 to 1933), but the Bauhaus influenced modern design like any radical movement in art history. Some people thought it was a peculiar and short-lived stance, while conservatives considered it madness. Thankfully, history proved them wrong.
Long before movements like Abstract Expressionism, Bauhaus, or Dadaism were accepted in mainstream galleries, art critics and connoisseurs scoffed at them. They didn’t understand how something as divine and serious as fine art could be grouped with applied art and crafts in the Bauhaus.
In the Bauhaus School, students from different backgrounds stayed together and created art together. They were often termed a secular cult of designers.
Other than its revolutionary theories, the Bauhaus School was also known for its notorious parties, as Gropius supported the idea that theater shows, lectures, poetry, and music should be an integral part of training. Artists need to relax to encourage creative thinking.
Several teachers were expelled from the Bauhaus for being too radical, like Johannes Itten, who encouraged his students to practice spiritual cleansing, vegetarianism, and meditative activities, which led to conflicts with the authorities.
What Walter Gropius Wanted to Achieve in Bauhaus Design?
Gropius started his art school with a simple idea – he merged art and usefulness. The Bauhaus school of artists, designers, and architects wanted art to be an everyday experience, not mere objects in galleries. They designed clean, geometric shapes for interior décor and architectural structures. Abstract artists like Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee also influenced its aesthetics.
Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky: How They Influenced Bauhaus Artwork
"Color is a power that directly influences our soul" – Kandinsky
Wassily Kandinsky, the famous Russian abstract expressionist, was obsessed with color. He could hear and see music in them. His color theory influenced the Bauhaus. He asked his students to study color in relation to structure and emotion, as color conveys feelings. Apart from paintings, Kandinsky’s analytical forms and emotive colors inspired architectural aesthetics in the Bauhaus.
Paul Klee, another Bauhaus faculty member and a prolific abstract artist, further enhanced this idea of breaking with structure and understanding the fundamentals of form and color. Klee encouraged his students to be intuitive and experimental with design. He always asked them to look beyond the rigid rules in art. And Bauhaus was a name for exploration.
László Moholy-Nagy and Marcel Breuer: Divas of the Bauhaus Style
Artist László Moholy-Nagy and architect Marcel Breuer were other prominent names who enhanced the Bauhaus style with experimental furniture designs and merged technology with art.
“Photogram” by László Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy was another proponent of innovative design. He believed modern art should utilize the creative potentials of industrial materials and modern media.
Moholy-Nagy experimented with light in film and photography, beyond traditional concepts, aligning with Bauhaus’s inventive approach.
His “photograms,” not photographs, were fascinating – they were produced without a camera.
Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer
Marcel Breuer was an architect who experimented with simplistic designs. One of his remarkable creations was the “Wassily Chair” – a chair made of tubular steel, iron yarn, and wax cotton thread, with useful straps and a convenient recliner. While he made this design, Breuer was heading the cabinet-making workshop in the Bauhaus, and Wassily Kandinsky was among the other eminent faculty.
What Was the Utility Principle in Bauhaus Décor?
Simplicity and utility were the core principles of Bauhaus décor. Artists followed a wholeness approach and symmetry in form: every component contributes to the bigger scheme of composition. The composition must look like a unified whole. This idea was implemented in Bauhaus paintings, arts and crafts, furniture designs, architecture, and interior design.
What Can Today’s Artists Learn from the Bauhaus Style?
What Bauhaus meant to say: ideas can be shaped by simple things, minimal designs, and useful materials. Art doesn’t have to sit in a gallery or expensive lounges to impress viewers. It can be experienced in everyday life, in utilitarian furniture designs, in architectural décor, and in clutter-free interiors.
What today’s artists can learn from Bauhaus style is how to redefine rules. It is not necessary to add more to your art to make it stand out. It is far more important to know what you leave out in art, because sometimes less can be more!
FAQ Section:
What is Bauhaus art?
Ans: Bauhaus art focuses on simple structures and design, celebrating functionality with beauty. Architect Walter Gropius founded this movement in Weimar, Germany, in 1919. The idea was simple: Art must have utility and purpose. It must be lived every day, not just treated as beautiful décor objects.
What is the unity principle of design in the Bauhaus?
Ans: The unity principle of design speaks of symmetry and wholeness in a composition. All the elements of any artistic composition must look unified as a theme. Beyond painting and graphic art, this idea of unity was applied to Bauhaus furniture decor, interior design, and architecture.
How did the Bauhaus movement influence arts and crafts architecture?
Ans: The Bauhaus movement focused more on simplicity in arts and crafts architecture. Rather than ornate architectural patterns, it focused on the needs of people living in those houses and preferred clean geometrical shapes and natural lighting in interior designs.
Who were the famous artists of the Bauhaus school?
Ans: The movement began with architect Walter Gropius, who believed that art and craftsmanship should be celebrated together, not as distinct subjects. Abstract artists Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky, architect Marcel Breuer, and artist László Moholy-Nagy, who experimented with art and technology, contributed to the Bauhaus School of thought.
What was the specialty of Bauhaus style and décor?
Ans: Bauhaus style and décor include functional and usable aspects of art. This artistic trend influenced typography, poster designs, graphic art, installation, the use of light in photography, and more. New décor ideas include modern materials like iron, fibre, glass, and industrially manufactured materials.
What was so striking about Bauhaus interior design?
Ans: Bauhaus interior design emphasized clutter-free open spaces, natural lighting, and comfortable living spaces. Designs must be functional, using simple color schemes and modern materials. Bauhaus designs meant that art should not be confined to galleries; it must be present in functional spaces people use daily.
If you are fascinated by Bauhaus ideals and love pushing artistic boundaries, you have food for thought for your next abstract artwork. Join TERAVARN's abstract art competition. The world is waiting to see how you say more with less in your art!
