Beyond 100: The Bauhaus and Modernism
Oftentimes, because we are surrounded by numerous modern buildings, we often simply turn a blind eye on them. This comes as no surprise as we were never truly taught in appreciating new structures in the same way we were trained to celebrate their older counterparts.
But, let us look at it this way: There might be a reason why “modernism” has become so influential and enduring, so much so that it has been the most productive and widespread movement not only in building designs but also in the manufacture of everyday practical objects.
Walter Gropius, one of the founding fathers of modernism, once conceded that what they wanted to achieve in the 20s was both unconventional and expensive for that time. He, nevertheless, also accurately predicted that those they created would eventually be the norm of the future.
The Bauhaus started in 1919 when an arts and crafts school headed by Gropius was established in Weimar, the cultural heart of Germany. The goal was simple—to create a “unified work of art” that merges both the fine arts and the crafts, the beautiful and the practical. It highlighted the enduring philosophy that attaches greater importance to function over form, where keeping things simple and at a minimal was the way to go.
My visit to Germany in 2019 was very timely: Bauhaus then celebrated its 100th year anniversary. I was able to trace back the evolution of this school of thought beginning with a visit to Weimar, then to Dessau, where Bauhaus reached its period of blossoming, and finally to Berlin where it was first applied for the much greater public good. I was also fortunate to see the largest ensemble of buildings following this style a few weeks later in Israel. All these modern- day wonders are now Unesco World Heritage Sites.
Weimar. The related sites in Weimar comprise the two school buildings where the budding school of thought was first taught, as well as the Haus am Horn, the first building to be constructed purely in Bauhaus terms. The school took pride in its faculty which was composed of the most talented artists of the period— Oskar Schlemmer, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Breuer, Georg Muche, etc. The school in Weimar lasted until 1925 when it, due to political pressures, was evicted from the city. The school buildings still feature some of the earliest outputs of Bauhaus, clearly demonstrating its origin as a humble statefunded school. Some notable examples are Schlemmer’s staircase fresco and installation art in the Applied Arts Building, and the furniture adorning the Director’s Room.
Dessau. The Bauhaus school’s move to Dessau proved to be more beneficial as they were able to practice their mission more freely and productively. Architecture, as the final expression of all the arts, was eventually given attention here. The Bauhaus Building in Dessau ( built in 1926) is a commanding classical modernist masterpiece of concrete, glass and steel. Even in today’s standards, it easily outshines many laterbuilt ones. Every detail inside, from the windows to the lamps to the door handles, was to be excited about.
Nearby, Gropius also designed his house and three twin-houses for the other teachers. While those abodes look similar, residing artists-teachers were free to decorate their interiors in a manner consistent with their individual preferences. The “Masters’
Houses” represent a more mature interpretation of a Bauhaus-style residence, which would later substantially resound in countless mid- century buildings that came afterwards. After seven years, however, the school had to close again, moving for the last time to Berlin, where it survived only for a few years.
Berlin & Tel Aviv. Siemensstadt’s Ring Settlement was one of the pioneering housing estates that gave rise to new approaches in urban planning and construction. It was, above all, geared toward providing affordable housing that still championed suitable living conditions for the capital’s growing lower-middle class. Among the six renowned architects, who worked on this project was Gropius who sported his Bauhaus principles in building one of the apartments.
Built as a response to the most urgent social demands of the 1920s-30s, the Bauhaus apartment cemented its place as a potent solution to the pragmatic problems that confronted the 20th century and beyond.
The Bauhaus buildings in Tel Aviv, on the other hand, came in 20 years later because of the Diaspora of Bauhaus students brought about by war-torn Germany. Young Jew architects who settled in Israel immediately applied Bauhaus teachings in developing the city. Tel Aviv, therefore, has the highest concentration of Bauhaus buildings in the world, totaling to around 4,000. Since then, there has been no stopping the school of thought in reaching wider and greater frontiers, especially when its top proponents like Gropius, Breuer, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ended up practicing in the USA as well.
After 100 years. The influences of these modernist buildings and household items are still apparent today, and they are even more relevant now than they were ever before. Despite its troublesome beginnings, Bauhaus has left many marks around the world, including the Philippines. It also influenced the development of the Art Deco style. Some would even argue that IKEA is a product of Bauhaus philosophy. In Haifa in Israel, a modernist IKEA lamp was even on display in one of the most prominent art galleries, clearly hinting that it is indeed a work of art. Sometimes, however, we take these for granted and forget how they have made our lives more comfortable. If there is one tradition that perfectly embodies the spirit of a true “global heritage” and what it ought to be, the Bauhaus brand of modernism fits that without question.