Bauhaus movement and design principles

Bauhaus movement refers to the design movement that began in Weimer, Germany in 1991 as the result of amalgamation of Academy of Fine Art with Van de Velde's old School of Applied Arts. German architect Walter Gropius initiated it. He believed in applying classical architectural techniques to design thereby introducing completely new set of design principles in art and crafts. Gropius essentially believed that art and craft couldn't be separated. 'Architects, sculptors, painters, we must all turn to the crafts. Art is not a "profession." There is no essential difference between the artist and the craftsman.' (Naylor: 50)

Some people believe that the real roots of Bauhaus can be traced back to 1902 when Belgian artist Henry van de Velde established a new art school in Weimer. Another such controversial school also existed in Germany and had been founded in 1860.

Walter Gropius is considered the pioneer of this movement because he skillfully combined the two schools in 1919 to introduce a new kind of art training which emphasized the importance of craftsmanship in art and design. Walter knew that world was changing and with it the needs of people were also likely to change, therefore he formulated a new design theory that focused on the development of "practical designs for present-day goods" that could be mass-produced." (Guillen, 1997) the artists who supported Bauhaus and joined Gropius were "modern artists familiar with science and economics, that] began to unite creative imagination with a practical knowledge of craftsmanship, and thus to develop a new sense of functional design," (Bauhaus 1919-1928 p. 13).

Bauhaus movement was certainly different in what it taught and introduced. Though it was inspired by cubism and minimalism in design, it was still a unique movement that completely revolutionized modern design by combining arts and crafts. Some of the key features of this movement included less emphasis on detail and more on economic use of space.

The Bauhaus programme had a wide scope embracing all spheres of life. It was directed towards all forms of creativity: architecture, crafts, advertising and photography, the stage, the film, the dance, and industrial design. The Bauhaus became Europe's experimental workshop and soon also a reservoir of ideas, the meeting-place of Europe's best minds." (Handler: 26)

Bauhaus artists included such prominent names as Mies van der Rohe, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and Oskar Schlemmer, who are responsible for bringing dramatic changes in the field of art and design. It is commonly believed that every change in design after the Bauhaus movement is inspired by the principles and techniques of this style. It can be rightly called the mother of all design movements in 20th century because till this day, we can see the impact of Bauhaus in the field of arts, architecture and crafts.

It was Bauhaus movement that for the first time introduced sleekness in design to make it more in tune with modern times and modernist needs. These artists "started a revolution of sleek simplicity in everything from stacking chairs and lamps to stairwells and big buildings. They were the pioneers of clean design for a new century, an age of mass production and technology. Initially inspired by handicraft and textiles, the modernists later emphasized reason and science in architecture as well as social responsibility in planning." (Nora FitzGerald, 2002)

Bauhaus popularized functional design, a technique that focused specifically on the major functions of everything including buildings, textiles, tables, lamps etc. To make them more easily accessible and usable. Bauhaus artists were the first to understand the needs of the new urban breed of workers who were looking for cleaner and sleeker design in everything in order to make better use of space without feeling cramped. Gropius decided to combine Academy with the Weimar Arts and Crafts School to provide new and more comprehensive training in design. Two persons trained each student: an artist and an expert craftsman to develop "creative ambidexterity." (2)

While cubism, expressionism and Dadaism inspired early Bauhaus designs, the later designs rarely ever bore any resemblance to these art movements. The reason being that Bauhaus took birth in highly chaotic times and it took some time for the movement to gain momentum and establish its unique identity. Herbert Bayer et al. (1938) wrote: "Fortunately, the first and difficult stage of development was over fairly quickly, and Gropius' idea soon achieved realization: modern artists, familiar with science and economics, began to unite creative imagination with a practical knowledge of craftsmanship, and thus to develop a new sense of functional design." (Page 15)

Today almost everything that we see around is somehow linked with Bauhaus design as it emphasized functionality. Textiles, carpets and rug designs were also influenced by Bauhaus techniques as women were specifically trained in this field. Under Bauhaus movement textile art was revolutionized and emphasis was shifted from detail-oriented designs to organic, often geometric and always abstract forms. students of textile art were trained to develop "whole new design vocabulary" (Weltge-Wortmann, Sigrid, pp. 49)