The Bauhaus

Inspired by a vision of bringing artists and craftsmen together to start a movement in art which would change the future of the world, Walter Gropius opened the doors to The Bauhaus.


The Bauhaus, a German design school that was set up in 1919, known to be "the face of the 20th century" and the focal point of many avant-garde ideas. Its main objective was to re-imagine the material world to reflect the unity of all the arts. The school functioned from 1919 to 1933 and taught a fusion of arts and crafts.

The Bauhaus's teaching systems were so different from other deign schools as they had productive workshops so that students could develop design skills by making things, instead of drawing them on paper.

Despite a series of several changes to its location, teaching staff and educational aesthetic, the Bauhaus school succeeded in developing an international reputation for innovative work of architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design and handicraft.

Walter Gropius, a German architect, was the founder and director of The Bauhaus. Gropius transformed into the world famous Bauhaus, attracting a faculty that included famous modern artists like Paul Klee, Lyonel Feininger and Kandinsky. These instructors were masters in painting and geometric abstraction.

Johannes Itten was one of the main pedagogical forces behind the Bauhaus, and taught a course in craft through the study of color and form. Itten represented the central person of the early Bauhaus years. He was also the author of some very important and influential books such as " The art of color", "The elements of colour" and "Design and form".

In 1923, Moholy-Nagy replaced Itten as the instructor of the foundation course at the Bauhaus. The Bauhaus became known for the versatility of its artists, and Moholy-Nagy was no exception. Throughout his career, he became innovative in the fields of photography, typography, sculpture, painting, printmaking, and industrial design.

After watching the film that showed how the The Bauhaus began, and showed interviews will several of the artists and teachers mentioned above, I felt very inspired. All of these people were so talented and gutsy and very successful- as many of their creations and teaching methods are used still to this day.