Bauhaus; Form Follows Function
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Bauhaus was a experimental art school, located in Germany that mainly was created to challenge questions such as the city of the future and how design influences society. The school is influential for its modern take on art; any design nowadays that involves clean aesthetics, modern features or function following form will have originated within the walls of the Bauhaus School of Art. The Bauhaus was also noted for allowing creative disciplines that expressed feelings, emotions or ideas and anything prior to the Bauhaus that was iconic art history was always mainly renaissance paintings or realistic portraiture. The Bauhaus was cutting edge expressing Avant Gard instead of historicism. Utility and Simplicity ran through it's blood - elements ingrained into each and every designer that came out of the historic school.
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| Homage to the Square: Josef Albers |
Most of the Art and Design created here was manufactured using trial and error. The products created, especially within product design or related subjects, involve practical and functional qualities as well as being a highly modern and cutting edge product that was like nothing alike. A running theme throughout the school included the basic rudimentary shapes including the primary colours; this was once again relatable to the modern, simplistic element of art the Bauhaus was inspiring, and what is more basic than a square, circle and triangle in the primary colours, red, yellow and blue. This inspired notable alumni including Josef Albers who created work called 'Homage to the Square': developing, arguably, the most simple pieces of art and design ever (oil squares painted on canvas). The squares however prove to have a deeper meaning than what first meets the eye, in fact these squares, like most things coming out the Bauhaus at the time, were challenging colour itself and challenging the overall nature of fine art. He spoke about his Homage to the Square paintings:
'They all are of different palettes, and, therefore, so to speak, of different climates. Choice of the colours used, as well as their order, is aimed at an interaction - influencing and changing each other forth and back. Thus, character and feeling alter from painting to painting without any additional ‘hand writing’ or, so-called, texture. Though the underlying symmetrical and quasi-concentric order of squares remains the same in all paintings – in proportion and placement – these same squares group or single themselves, connect and separate in many different ways.’
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| The Wassily Chair |
The curriculum there followed a strict syllabus: they heavily looked into theory as practice (similarly to myself). The Bauhaus also recognised that different skills were needed for different professions which is mainly the reason why we now have Art Schools all around the world that allow students to pick a specific subject such as Graphic Design to specialise in. A foundation year in Art and Design was also required within the school to allow entry, once again, another theme that is now repeated in many Universities offering a creative subject. This foundation level programme offered the students to enrich themselves in a broad range of disciplines.
In the lecture we watched a documentary about the Bauhaus that I found very fascinating; I love the Bauhaus movement as I am particularly interested in a clean, modern and utopian idea of design that the school promotes. Whilst watching the documentary I made notes on the ideas and themes surroudning Bauhaus including how it was revolutionised, what were the key ideas and how it can relate to my own studio practice.
Key Ideas and points I concluded where:
- Practised a 'Visual Science'.
- There was a visual language between staff and students
- Opened up new doors in the society by enrolling women even though these women were regimented to study 'Women Subjects' such as Pottery or Sewing.
- Most Bauhaus products influence common designs today such as the Wassily Chair that has influenced the modern, mass produced chair that has a clean and simple aesthetic. Even though this chair was designed for utility and purpose, it is very ironic that it is now one of the most expensive chairs in the world due to its Bauhaus significance
- Art at a 'Functional Level'
- Influenced how a working workshop within design schools look and feel; including large tables and working industry machinery.
- Instead of designing on paper they used actual craft equipment
- They would be taught by actual professionals
- Politically influenced
- As a designer myself I love simple and iconic design
- The Bauhaus was overall a movement for Art as a subject; I like to think that I am a big art fan and I love all elements of it - including Graphic design, Photography and Fine art.
As a designer I am heavily influenced by the culture and ethos that the Bauhaus follows; clean, simple and minimalistic design plays a heavy role within my design aestetic that underpins projects such as Foundation Studio and Process and Production. I also love the idea of Politically motivated Design or Design with meaning and I am always trying to push a message or theme through my work no matter how ambiguous it is. I am constantly on the look-out also for inspiration from cutting edge designers who push boundaries with art. I also am very appreciative towards this movement; I believe that the reason why we are allowed nowadays to study whatever course we like, at great Art Schools across the world, comes from the idea to create a School for Contemporary Art and Design.
Paying homage to the movement and the incredible ethos that the Bauhaus represents, I have decided to put together 3 simple briefs that I could try and experiment with in my own time that would enable me to fully immerse myself in the culture of the German Art School. These aren't part of any module or any coursework, these are purely just some fun ideas that I could play around with in my own time.
Brief 1: Curate an editorial Look-Book and Advertising Campaign for a Fashion House of your choice that pays tribute to the simple shapes, lines and form that the Bauhaus Represents.
Brief 2: Create a Tour Guide Booklet for the Bauhaus-Archiv In Berlin that displays work of Alumni as well as a professional minimalistic layout scheme that represents the ethos of The Bauhaus.
Brief 3: Create a logo for the Bauhaus-Archiv that is simple, contemporary and that includes the 3 simple shapes seen throughout the Bauhaus Archive. The design must show knowledge of the history of the movement and must be forward thinking in aesthetic design and utility.
Paying homage to the movement and the incredible ethos that the Bauhaus represents, I have decided to put together 3 simple briefs that I could try and experiment with in my own time that would enable me to fully immerse myself in the culture of the German Art School. These aren't part of any module or any coursework, these are purely just some fun ideas that I could play around with in my own time.
Brief 1: Curate an editorial Look-Book and Advertising Campaign for a Fashion House of your choice that pays tribute to the simple shapes, lines and form that the Bauhaus Represents.
Brief 2: Create a Tour Guide Booklet for the Bauhaus-Archiv In Berlin that displays work of Alumni as well as a professional minimalistic layout scheme that represents the ethos of The Bauhaus.
Brief 3: Create a logo for the Bauhaus-Archiv that is simple, contemporary and that includes the 3 simple shapes seen throughout the Bauhaus Archive. The design must show knowledge of the history of the movement and must be forward thinking in aesthetic design and utility.
