The Bauhaus And Its Impact On Architecture

The Bauhaus was arguably one of the most influential events in design history. The Bauhaus was a German art, design, and architecture school that was founded by Modernist architects Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier. Although founded by Modernist architects, the Bauhaus did not teach architecture during its early years. Instead, Head of the Bauhaus Walter Gropius, wanted to form a school that encompassed all learnings of art and craft and form a curriculum that was activity-based and not purely theoretical. Gropius stated in Manifesto and Program of the Bauhaus, Weimar, 1919, “Let us therefore create a new guild of craftsmen without the class-distinctions that raise an arrogant barrier between craftsmen and …show more content…

During this time, industries transitioned from handmade crafting to machine manufacturing. Industries began manufacturing cheaper copies of handmade luxury goods which ultimately lead to a loss of need for the arts and crafts. Many designers, including English craftsman William Morris, developed an anxiety for the loss of craft. Manufacturing and creativity had branched off into two separate paths. Many attempts were made to reconnect craft with industry at the beginning of the 20th century. The Deutscher Werkbund in Munich was formed in 1907 to showcase designs for manufactured objects. After the fall of the German Monarchy post World War I, Germany became more revolutionised. In 1917 the Dutch movement De Stijl was founded. De Stijl was centred on constructivist design principles. It was from this idea that Gropius decided to build a school which could attempt to bridge the gap between industry production and crafts. Gropius opened the first Bauhaus school in Weimar in 1919. Not only had craft reconnected with industry production, but the Bauhaus sought to revolutionise design. Gropius believed that art schools should unite all fine arts and crafts in a single location and have all disciplines collaborate with one another. He also hired specialists in each discipline of the arts to teach and revolutionise modern design.
Of all concepts taught out the Bauhaus,