Sunday, November 16, 2008

Art of the Bauhaus

Ok, I'm about to get Super Nerdy here... Art Nerdy.

Many people don't know but at the Turn of the Century Germany(Wiemar) was at the Pinnacle of Europe. As France was in the 17th century, and England was in the 18th. As Germany felt more and more Entitled as a cultural and industrial leader. This is feeling of entitlement, and dominance is part of what Lead to WWI. Great artists like Klimt, and a little known Thinker named Einstein came out of this Era, and region of Germany(Wiemar).

Turn of the Century, artists wanted to rethink art, as Industrialization was remaking our world. The movement, inspired by the Culture of "Rebirth" prompted by what was seen to be a New age in Humanity; Acceptance of the theories of Darwin, Some of the ideas of Karl Marx, Larger Availability of books and education, progress made by fabric Looms and the printing press, and further industrial production, All of this remade our Civilization. During all of this there naturally was a move to remake art.

As life imitates art and art imitates Life. Modernism is to Art, what Industrialization is to production/business. Art of the Bauhaus, is art that came out of the Named School, Between WWI and WWII when the Nazis closed down the School. It's interesting to think about the word Modernism as always what is Now modern, but you have to realize it's the beginning of the Modern Age, Which is where you get the term Post modern art, and that reference should be used as the Christians use Jesus. There is Pre Jesus, Jesus and Post Jesus. Post modern art.

When rethinking art for the "new Age", They started with basic forms 3 Perfect Shapes.

Circle
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Circle_-_black_simple.svg/500px-Circle_-_black_simple.svg.png,
'perfect square'
http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/s/images/square_malevch.blck.jpg,
Equilateral triangle.
http://sethoscope.net/devil-stick/triangle/triangle.png
And ONLY BLACK AND WHITE. This is pure modernism, and rigid fundamentalist art of the Bauhaus.

As time went on this was expanded to the Primary colorshttp://www.wiu.edu/art/courses/design/color.gif

Proper Bauhaus is a combination of these shapes and colors,http://ils.unc.edu/courses/2007_spring/inls261_001/images/logos/starters.interest.klee.bauhaus.jpg
Like the Cradle Below
http://www.bonluxat.com/cmsense/data/uploads/orig/Peter_Keler_Bauhaus-Cradle_vtg.jpgimage
Another element is the use of new manufacturing Methods and materials(this isn't unique to Modernism, apply the newest techniques and materials is common to most art movements). Examples are bent Plywood, and Tube steel.


Le Corbusier.

The above chair is a great example, and possibly similar to something you may have in your home. Great Simple Black Squares, and bent tubular(circle) steel Great example of Early Bauhaus.

Ludwig mies Van der rohe

Now using a Partial Circular form for the frame of this chair, some Great red Squares for cushions. Unfortunately the Liberal use of the curve in the other leg of the chair, and both legs of the footstool, Is a NO NO to purists. Of course the use of color, also points to a later period in the form.
http://www.huntfor.com/absoluteig/gallery/Feininger/feininger3.jpghttp://isi2isi.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/drinvspec16per21.jpg

As time progressed broader interpretations, and just the use of Generic Geometric forms became acceptable.
https://www.moma.org/images/collection/FullSizes/00333035.jpg
Sometimes with Creativity, the secret is to have confines, and to still be able to express yourself within them.... Feels like some kind of Life lesson there.

Yep... Too many art Classes..... And I can do math. Like being locked in hell. And I can't stand Fractals BTW. I knew this engineer once who though He could "Do art" using Fractals. Grrrr One could use Fractals to express art, but a Fractal is not art. Only an engineer would think a fractal was art, just as every 4 year old thinks that Mountain with a deer out of Macaroni is art... Cause they did it in art class.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Fractal-zoom-1-03-Mandelbrot_Buzzsaw.ogg/mid-Fractal-zoom-1-03-Mandelbrot_Buzzsaw.ogg.jpg
Damn, I'm a snob.

4 comments:

StupidBike said...

Personally I prefer Peter Murphy solo, wait what are we talking about?

The Mop said...

What is pretentious is that somehow, Bauhaus felt like they were doing to music what bauhaus did to art, the only problem was that the entire Modern music movement was more like what blues was to art bauhaus... than buahaus is to art bauhaus.

As, Blues is the Root of Jazz, R&B, Bluegrass, country, and Rock & Roll.

With a Quick Deviation Melding of Jazz and Rock, which became Pink Floyd, Which then Spawned the "Goth" movement. Of course That whole movement has died, and only Depech Mode, even toying with the form for 'Black Celebration'... but then most of these musicians then moving into pop, including Peter Murphy.
... I guess I am excluding Nine Inch Nails... and I guess Marilyn Manson but it's still borderline Pop.

There was a period of time when David Bowie had some things to say, before he pickled his brain on Coke.

StupidBike said...

I will always have Velvet Underground and sporadic Iggy.

The Mop said...

Iggy is good, And I can be a huge fan of bowie. I've never managed Velvet Underground... I don't know why.

Cheers