The Bauhaus - A Crucial Contribution to Modernism in Europe

Germany went into a serious crisis concerning society and politics after the First World War. This crisis contributed to a revolution in arts and design and can be seen as a trigger for crucial changes in everyday aesthetic forms. The Bauhaus in Weimar (later moved to Dessau) was established in 1919 and presented a radical new thinking and concept which integrated architecture, art, textiles, interior design, typography, industrial design and every day items. A new approach to unify an individual artistic vision and mass production was born. Influenced by expressionism, dadaism and the Dutch De Stijl movement, designers, architects and craftsmen started under Walter Gropius creative leadership new technologies and forms in the 1920s. Gropius even introduced new teaching methods and developed a curriculum with mainly workshops and mandatory basic training in forms and colors for all students. A new generation of designers grew up, which was trying to change both architecture and interior design styles to a style, which wasn’t based on historicism - the idea was to create something completely new, according to Gropius Bauhaus Manifesto, born out of the „Zeitgeist“ (spritis of ages) and „Kunstwollen“ (will to create). They focused on simplicity and the function of furniture, housing and every day items and demand that function was seen to be equal with the aesthetic aspects. The choice of colors and simple forms played an important roll in this revolutionary concept. This new approach was the beginning of modernism in Europe.