15 Amazing Bauhaus Facts On The Famous Architectural Style

Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason
Oct 06, 2023 By Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason
Originally Published on May 02, 2022
All about Bauhaus- origin, architecture, significance.
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 7.4 Min

The primary goal of the Bauhaus school was to reinvent the nature of reality in order to express the unification of all the art forms.

In the early 20th century, Bauhaus, which means 'building house' in German, began as a German architecture school. The Bauhaus school incorporated combined fine arts as well as design studies into its coursework.

The program began with a foundation study that involved students from various socio-economic and educational origins.

In terms of the educational program and the structures, and in the lifestyles of faculty and students, the Bauhaus included important, influential Bauhaus artists from foreign settings.

For example, when establishing the educational curriculum, Walter Gropius, the founder, connected the school with particular practices and included proposals from English painters John Ruskin as well as William Morris. For instance, in the early years of the Bauhaus, the merging of art projects in Morris' movement served as an important influence.

Nevertheless, the Bauhaus building at Dessau is now a World Heritage site that brings together a diverse variety of individuals, hobbies, and inspirations from throughout the world, just as they did from 1925-1932.

Together with the master residences on site, the school building was also where Bauhaus artists and Bauhaus designers transformed life, learning, and collaboration through fine and decorative art. The structure reflects the instructional curriculum as well as a modernized way of living.

Several avant-garde art forms influenced modern art during the 20th century. While most of these styles favored paintings, such as conscious and unconscious surrealism and dynamic abstract expressionism, the Bauhaus movement embraced a broad range of mediums, techniques, or disciplines.

Bauhaus design and art dominated numerous avenues of innovative European art in the '20s and '30s, ranging from artworks and graphics to building and interiors. Despite the fact that it is most primarily identified with Germany, it drew and inspired artists worldwide.

Its impact may now be recognized in visual art all around the world, whether in museums or on the streets of suburbia.

Origins Of Bauhaus And Founders Details

The German architect Walter Gropius created the Bauhaus in the town of Weimar in 1919. In 1925, the Bauhaus relocated to Dessau.

The Dessau University facility, an icon of contemporary architecture and among the most significant structures of the 20th century, was designed by Walter Gropius in collaboration with students and lecturers between 1925-1926. In 1923, Walter Gropius updated the Bauhaus ideals, emphasizing the significance of design for large-scale production while preserving the concentration on workmanship.

The motto 'Art into Industry' was chosen by the school. The Bauhaus was compelled to relocate again in 1932 as a consequence of political influence, as it had done in 1925 in Weimar.

The Bauhaus was managed as a private organization in an old telecommunications factory in Berlin's Steglitz area by the third and then the last director after Hannes Meyer, architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, until 1933.

The Bauhaus was strongly identified with the Weimar Republic's tumultuous political circumstances and chaotic history. In many respects, the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Nazi regime in Germany signaled the conclusion of the Bauhaus.

Faced with Nazi retaliation, the Bauhaus was told to close on July 20, 1933. Following this, the percentage of kids and professors associated with the perhaps most renowned and prominent school of modernity were forced to integrate, go into the underground, or evacuate.

Many former Bauhaus members carried the organization's principles with them through practically every region of the planet.

On the other hand, the Bauhaus had relations with other countries from the outset and had been well across the world. The school's worldwide prestige and impact grew significantly as a result of its alumni's immigration.

Characteristics Of Bauhaus

Although the Bauhaus was only open for 14 years, it attracted over 1,300 students.

'140 are of German ethnicity, and 30 seem to be from traveling overseas, 'the Bauhaus magazine authored in 1929,' which include eight Swiss, four Poles, three Czechs, three Russian people, two Americans, two Latvians, two from Hungary, one from German-Austrian, one Persian, one Israeli, one Dutch, one Turkish one from the democratic state, with 119 male and 51 female students.'

Among the most popular workshops at the Bauhaus was cabinet-making. From 1924 until 1928, this workshop was directed by Marcel Breuer (1983.366), who reimagined the fundamental core of furniture design and modular furniture, frequently attempting to dematerialize traditional shapes such as seats to their most basic survival.

Under the guidance of designer as well as weaver Gunta Stölzl (1897–1983), the textile studio developed abstract fabrics and surreal costumes suited for use in Bauhaus buildings. Students learned about color theory and design, as well as weaving techniques.

The metal workshop was just another prominent workshop at the Bauhaus former schools. It was the most productive in generating design concepts for mass manufacturing and the furniture-making studio. In this workshop, designers like Marianne Brandt, Wilhelm Wagenfeld, and Christian Dell developed elegant, contemporary lighting fixtures and dinnerware.

Even though the typographic workshop was not originally a focus of the Bauhaus design, it grew in importance under influential artists such as Moholy-Nagy and graphic designer Herbert Bayer. Typography was envisioned at the Bauhaus as both an essential communicative tool and a form of expression, prioritizing aesthetic clarity.

The Bauhaus school gathered worldwide fame and influences architecture even today.

Bauhaus Types

The Bauhaus school typeface is inspired by Herbert Bayer's experimental universal typeface from 1925 and the Bauhaus school style in general. The Bauhaus school aimed to modernize, unite, and standardize design to create an idealized form that combined utility and beauty.

A set of connected Bauhaus fonts was among their numerous planned changes. Geometric sans-serif letterforms are a common feature of Bauhaus typefaces.

The Bauhaus school used to produce serif art nouveau fonts in its early years. After several years of conceptual design at the school, Herbert Bayer and Joost Schmidt devised the more famous techniques, san serif geometric letterings with ornamental parts of the font eliminated for a sharp industrial aesthetic.

Bayer's Universal is the most well-known Bauhaus typeface. The eradication of upper case letters, composition supported by vital geometrical components and imaginative use of colors, and the substitute of the Gothic font with a more cosmopolitan font appropriate for the relocation from handcrafted to standardized production were all critical components of Bauhaus typefaces in Bayer's original form.

In 1928, Jan Tschischold devised new typography, which was significantly influenced by the Bauhaus school, but he was never a member. Modern typography, publishing, and graphic arts are all affected by this work.

URW Blippo Black is a variation of Bauhaus 93. The URW Letter Foundry initially issued it in 1993. There was just one typeface created.

It's available in Microsoft Word as a pre-packaged typeface, and it's used in the 3D Pinball for Windows–Space Cadet theme. It's also utilized for the Postman Pat logo and the Amiibo logo at Disney's Polynesian Resort. In 1996, it was also used on Xinwen Lianbo, Chuzzle, and Homestar Runner.

Ed Benguiat, as well as Victor Caruso, created ITC Bauhaus in 1975. It has discrete uppercase and lowercase letters and borrows Herbert Bayer's Universal's primary geometric forms and monotone stroke weights. For this collection, five different strengths of Roman fonts have been created for utilization.

Notable People Who Followed Bauhaus Art

Bauhaus was a rich field for a large number of brilliant individuals. Some of the artists of the Bauhaus school created famous pieces and designs.

In contrast, others were competent educators, speakers, and theorists - in any case, they have all influenced future generations of artists, designers, and thinkers by shaping their sensibility and providing rules to follow.

Although the Bauhaus movement's legacy extends well beyond individual intentions, each of the artists has made it feasible for the program to have had such a lasting influence.

Teachers arrived from a variety of nations and brought their unique perspectives to the Bauhaus, which enriched life there.

The artists Lyonel Feininger of New York and Wassily Kandinsky of Russia were among them, as was the second Bauhaus director as well as architect Hannes Meyer of Switzerland, the graphic designer László Moholy-Nagy of Hungary and his partner, photographer Lucia Moholy of Prague, and also the Dutch designer Mart Stam.

Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer were both appointed to the Architecture Department of Harvard University as architecture teachers. From 1933 to 1949, Anni Albers and Josef Albers worked at Black Mountain College in North Carolina.

Throughout their lectures and works developed in the United States, they all had a significant impact on a younger crowd of architects through their artistic expression, knowledge of abstract art, and taste in a minimalist design that was studied by them in the new Bauhaus style.

Oskar Schlemmer was a sculptor, artist, and engineer who took a broad, interdisciplinary approach to art. Nevertheless, Oskar Schlemmer is most known for his contributions to theater and ballet. He elevated the legacy of the Bauhaus Movement to new heights throughout his time at the institution.

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Written by Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason

Bachelor of Science specializing in Mass Communication.

Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason picture

Adekunle Olanrewaju JasonBachelor of Science specializing in Mass Communication.

With over 3+ years of professional experience, Olanrewaju is a certified SEO Specialist and Content Writer. He holds a BSc in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos. Throughout his dynamic career, Olanrewaju has successfully taken on various roles with startups and established organizations. He has served as a Technical Writer, Blogger, SEO Specialist, Social Media Manager, and Digital Marketing Manager. Known for his hardworking nature and insightful approach, Olanrewaju is dedicated to continuous learning and improvement.
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