Bauhaus

Walter Gropius. Bauhaus Building, Dessau, Germany, 1926

The German equivalent of De Stijl and Purism was the Bauhaus group. Bauhaus style is characterized by geometric and economically efficient design. Walter Gropius established the Bauhaus School in Germany in 1919. Gropius called for a "cultural synthesis" combining the skills of designers, artists, architects and engineers with craftsmen. Bauhaus emphasis was on functional architecture, creating buildings without hiding the materials with which they were constructed. Unpopular with the Nazis, the school was closed in 1933. Subsequently, many artists seeking intellectual freedom moved to the United States.

The school initially had three main goals that stayed true throughout the lifetime of the movement to today. The first was to combine the skills of artists and craftsmen and combine the elements of engineering and art. The second goal sought to raise the rank of craftworks to that of fine art. The last goal was to establish independence from government support by maintaining relationships with industry leaders and crafstmen, and selling designs to industry privately. The Bauhaus ideal of function over form has essentially created modern industrial design as we know it.

Although Bauhaus has played an important role throughout its creation and until today, criticisims of the movement are based on its drive for functionality over beauty. Bauhaus buildings and furniture lack decorative features. For example, the Bauhaus movement is the birthplace of moveable cubicles as offices...the infamous 'office cubicle'. It also brought about portable classrooms. Although functional and cost-effective, many critics found these and other Bauhaus concepts to be lacking in imagination. Nevertheless, Bauhaus has had immense influence on architecture since the school was established, and the cost efficiencies associated with the style are likely to influence it for many years to come.