Bauhaus: Art as Life

With a host of objects, pictures and documents, an exhibition bears witness to the drive of the Bauhaus movement: a mix of rigour, utopian aspirations, educational approach and concrete action.

A varied array of drawings, projects, Marcel Breuer's famous Club Chair, Gunta Stölzl's magnificent jacquard fabrics, delicate Paul Klee watercolours and furnishings, alongside refined cabinetmaking, rugs, lamps, teapots, fabrics, chessboards, puppets, sets of printing type, advertising posters, and a whole host of photographs that exude joy and optimism, and the relish and pleasure of a common aim — that of a better life for as many people as possible.

The Bauhaus: Art as Life exhibition tells the story of the unique school, tracing its evolution through three different premises and exploring its everyday life.

Founded in 1919 after the First World War and closed in 1933, as National Socialism gained power and influence, the Bauhaus lasted only 14 years — but these were intense, dynamic and proactive years, lived with a playful spirit, a creative approach and an informal lifestyle. An inventive utopia which believed in a future of cultural and social progress.

The exhibition begins with Walter Gropius' founding of the school in Weimar, the city that had, until that time, been the fulcrum of the classical German culture and where the German constitution was signed in that same 1919. The show explores the school's early years, when teaching of avant-garde and eclectic arts and crafts was predominant, marked by Expressionist approaches. It highlights the progressive but rapid shift towards a simpler and more essential aesthetic of radical experimentation, with a growing focus on the relationship between art and technology. An interest in designing objects that could be industrially produced helped steer the Bauhaus towards simple forms with a Constructivist matrix. The Bauhaus style became more consistent: its cornerstones were clarity, rigour and efficient communication.

<em>Bauhaus: Art as Life</em> installation view at the Barbican Centre. Image courtesy of the Barbican Centre — *Bauhaus: Art as Life* installation view at the Barbican Centre. Image courtesy of the Barbican Centre

The school did not have an architecture course in those early years, but Gropius offered Bauhaus teachers and students the chance to practise by involving them in the design of Sommerfeld House. Commissioned in 1922 to Gropius and Adolf Meyer, the house was built in 1923 and destroyed in the Second World War. Built essentially in wood, the house incorporated furnishings, wood panelling and a stained-glass window by Josef Albers, and it came to represent an early product of a fundamental Bauhaus idea — that art and craft skills and an innovative application of materials and design techniques could converge in a unitary building practice generating a total work of art.

In 1923, an exhibition of prototypes by the school's teachers and students became a testing ground. Having cast aside the Expressionist content and its previous emphasis on crafts, the whole school worked for months to prepare the exhibition, which included performances and lectures as well as more traditional works. Gropius sanctioned the school's new direction by opening the exhibition with a lecture entitled "Art and Technology — A New Unity".

In 1925, the Bauhaus moved from Weimar to Dessau. Specially designed by Gropius and built with advanced solutions, the new campus was a workshop in which to study, work, and experiment modern life. The new complex was composed of asymmetrically assembled cubes designed for their intended function. Moments of rigorous study, research and play were intertwined without interruption. This mixed community was united by a spirit of innovation that permeated every type of activity: every moment seemed marked by fervour, happy energy and a playful spirit that was never an end in itself. The desire to reunite the arts saw, among other things, one of its major fields of experimentation in the theatre, which became a true gelling agent within the school and succeeded in bringing together painting, sculpture, fancy dress, music, dance and plays of light and form. Often, roofs, balconies and any other part of the building served as impromptu stages for experimental performances. Life was lived as a sort of never-ending show.

Often, roofs, balconies and any other part of the building served as impromptu stages for experimental performances. Life was lived as a sort of never-ending show

The beautiful photographs on display record the busy everyday life on the campus. The students gathered around an outstanding international network put together by Gropius that included, over the years, figures such as Johannes Itten, later replaced by László Moholy-Nagy, Josef and Anni Albers, Marianne Brandt, Marcel Breuer, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Hannes Meyer, Gunta Stölzl, Paul Klee, Oskar Schlemmer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Georg Muche and Lyonel Feininger.

This community life and enthusiasm generated play and parties, while extracurricular activities were valued as essential facilitators of learning, essential moments freeing students from convention and bringing out the creative imagination.

However, the Bauhaus was not the only force designing a new world, and a different, more somber world was advancing.

The last two years in Dessau were spent under the direction of Meyer with constant internal renewal. In 1929, Meyer introduced new courses in photography and photomontage but National Socialist hostility towards the school was strong and funding fell dramatically until it was completely cut. The Bauhaus tried to continue independently and its focus veered towards architecture and professional training. Mies van der Rohe replaced Meyer and oversaw the school's transfer to Berlin. This was not enough, as in 1933 the school was forced to close. Sixty-one of its teachers were arrested, several were deported and some, such as Frederika Dicker and Otti Berger, died in Auschwitz and other death camps.

Others, such as Moholy-Nagy, Josef and Anni Albers and Mies van der Rohe sought refuge across the ocean and, from there, continued to spread the great message of Bauhaus life.

With a host of objects, pictures and documents, Bauhaus: Art as Life bears witness to the drive of this movement: a mix of rigour, utopian aspirations, educational approach and concrete action. Gabi Scardi

Through 12 August 2012
Bauhaus: Art as Life
Barbican Art Gallery, Barbican Centre
London

Bauhaus: Art as Life

With a host of objects, pictures and documents, an exhibition bears witness to the drive of the Bauhaus movement: a mix of rigour, utopian aspirations, educational approach and concrete action.

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