![]() The bauhaus was a school of design led by Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, László Moholy-Nagy and Josef Albers. Originally it was pioneered by an Architect by the name of Walter Gropius. It began with the devastating consequences of World War 1 and ended up being one of the most influential art schools of the 20th century, most importantly it had a special role to play in the history of 20th century culture, architecture, design, art and new media. The main purpose of this design movement was to combine the fine arts and crafts and create design that was simple, functional and practical. It got rid of all the excess decoration found in the Art Deco movement. Eventually, this had a major influence on the development of modernism and at the time it was reflected in architecture, industrial design, graphic design, interior design, furniture design and other media. The bauhaus embraced new technology and this opened a new window were mass production and design worked hand in hand to create new materials and a faster process. As we now know the Bauhaus tried to teach the potency of simple, clean design. While all of Bauhaus Masters all had their own unique style, they appeared to have a lot of interest in colour. “Color has taken possession of me; no longer do I have to chase after it. I know that it has hold of me forever… Color and I are one. I am a painter” said Paul Klee, another dedicated teacher of the Bauhaus. This interest in colour and simplicity was indeed reflected in posters , types and other graphic work. Below are different posters and font designs done during the time of the Bauhaus. When looking at Bauhaus Graphics one can notice that the main features would be vibrant colors, harmony, geometric shapes, bold and universal type lettering. This style is still found today in many posters, advertising and also on the road signs around the world. One well know designer is Herbert Bayer, who designed many printed materials and advertising graphics for the Bauhaus at the time. The key to Bauhaus typography was simply form follows function, as mentioned in class this was a key element and was prominent the the very first Bauhaus exhibition. The way designers presented their information had to be as simple and clear as possible. This would eventually influence the way we design posters today. The famous line less is more is prominent in many of today's graphic designer's works. The World’s First Bauhaus HouseThe Haus am Horn in Weimar Germany is named to be the world's first Bauhaus building and after surviving the war and other tragedies it became a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was designed by Georg Muche and also students of the Bauhaus school including Marcel Breuer, Gunta Stölzl and Alma Buscher. This house was to be a part of a village full of Bauhaus residential buildings. However the style was short lived and people moved on to other designs. Lightweight materials were used which in return saved money, showing the use of innovative materials at the time. The house still remains and is open to the public although the furniture was replaced many times . Despite this some small original features still remain suck as door frames. Later next year the house will be moved for the very first time to the Bauhaus Museum. In conclusion, although the Bauhaus was closed in the last century, its influence is still manifested in design today and will continue to spread its principles to designers and artists. Lastly, it is also important to note that the Bauhaus is said to be the milestone to record the important achievement on modern architecture design and art history. References
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During the early 1900's, Frank Loyd Wright put forward his approach and started using the term 'Organic Architecture' although he wasn't the first he surely is well known under this particular style. In an article Casey Neal mentioned how humanity today is conscious about our surroundings and protecting the environment therefore there was more emphasis on Frank Loyd Wright'd designs and buildings since they prove to be environmentally friendly which was the result he was opting for. Although there is no one true meaning for the term Organic Architecture, many understand it as being a tie between humans and nature or as Frank Loyd himself mentioned in 1914, " The ideal of an organic architecture a sentient, rational building that would owe its ‘style’ to the integrity with which it was individually fashioned to serve its particular purpose—a ‘thinking’ as well as ’feeling’ process.“ (Wright, Architectural Record, 1914. ) A typical characteristic of this style is how buildings look as if they're a part of their surroundings. This doesn't mean that this style was trying to copy the environment but rather be a part of it. Particular attention to materials used even when decorating, how a building is placed and where, simplicity, these are all features dominant in Organic architecture and design. Below are photos of Frank Loyd Wright's Falling Water. After being discussed in class and conducting further research I got to understand why they call Wright “the greatest architect of the nineteenth-century” (Philip Johnson, n.a). Located in Pennsylvania, Falling Water is considered as one of Frank' s greatest pieces of work and was designed as a second home for Mr. Edgar Kaufmann and his family. They requested their home to be built in that particular area since it was their properly assuming it meant a lot to them. Wright decided to place the building literally on top of the waterfall which is how this building gained most of its popularity. Besides having elements of Organic architecture this building also has some characteristics of the International Style which was discussed during my group's presentation including the flat roof and open plan. The original building was partially done in 1926 although construction ended in 1939. Since it is placed over running water, it is prone to damage and corrosion so it still requires touchups and some changes every now and then. Use of huge glass windows which overlook the waterfall and the forest, also marks the relationship with nature. The photo below shows just how obsessed with nature Wright is after bending a part of the structure of the building so a tree remains were it is and was literally built around it. references
Art Nouveau sought to combine art and design to architecture, interiors, furniture and jewellery . The name came about after a gallery in Paris started showcasing this kind of style. It had a huge impact in the architectural field during the late 19th and early 20th century and was greatly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement. They do share some similar characteristics although they both had different motifs since during the Art Nouveau designers did make use of manufactured goods and weren't at all agains industrialisation. Art nouveau was all about floral/ decorative patterns, whip lash curves, ornate and eye-catching designs. I was impressed by the amount of decorative elements a building had and how they created such beautiful buildings. Materials used were mostly stained glass, steel, iron and ceramics. Below are there of my favourite examples of this style. Besides architecture I also found wonderful interior spaces decorated in this particular style. Typical features include; soft and muted colours, spiral staircases, floral wallpaper, stained glass on both doors and windows, flowing curves. Although this movement was short lived it still continues to inspire designers today. One example in particular is the Hotel Tassel by Victor Horta which demonstrates most of the elements found during this movement . Horta was a Belgian architect which left imprint of this style on many private and public buildings. He designed almost every detail found in it from the glass doors and windows to the mosaic floor. Most of the buildings Horta created are significant and known for their interior architecture since from the outside they look rather plain and smooth. Above are more examples of Art Nouveau architecture and interiors. Besides Horta, leading figures include Aubrey Beardsley, Walter Crane, Henry van de Velde, Victor Horta, René Lalique, Antonio Gaudí and Louis C. Probably the most known from the list is the architect Antonio Gaudi who has inspiring works such as the Sagra Di Familia and Cassa Battlo ( seen in the images after first paragraph). References
![]() The arts and crafts movement flourished around in the 1880s as a reaction to industrialisation and was also known as the Mission style. It was one of the most influential periods in design history. William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones are said to be the two pioneers of this design movement. This movement was mainly focused on craftsmanship, quality, and natural aesthetics. Artists and designers were mostly inspired by the baroque era, designs were decorative and floral all in a neutral and harmonious tone of colour . While the industrial revolution in Britain was doing rather well, William Morris knew the downsides of what would eventually happen. It meant very low pays leading to workers not doing their job well and final products that weren't of such high quality. In other words Morris disliked anything that had to do with Industrialisation which was what the Arts and Crafts Movement was all about. Inspired by John Ruskin after he graduated he built his own company named Morris & Co and stared to created some of his most beautiful designs including decorative furniture pieces and carpenting. Besides Morris there were others that rejected the ideas of the industrial revolution and followed Morris's steps. Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo A well known architect during the Arts and Crafts movement . The picture on the left shows one of the five chairs known to be designed by Mackmurdo. The chair portrays most of what the arts and crafts movement was all about. Hand crafted ornaments to emphasise the man made objects rather than machine ones. Organic forms, smooth curves and simple lines were also recurrent features during this movement which was also what Mackmurdo kept in mind when designing the chair. Bauhaus VS Arts and Crafts The bauhaus was greatly influenced by the arts and crafts movement and there are some similarities between these two styles. Both movements seem to focus on design that had some sort of purpose yet also aesthetically beautiful (form follows function). Since industrialisation had a huge impact on the design world it surly effected both of these movements although the arts and crafts movement rejected the idea of using machinery for such fine work yet the Bauhaus embraced it. Despite this both agreed that an artist or designer should be considered as a worker. An obvious contrast between these two styles is the colour palettes used in the designs. Whilst the arts and crafts held on to neutral colours, the bauhaus had more bold and bright ones. The Arts and Crafts Movement Today Although today we have a rather different style when it comes to designing houses we can still find some interiors with elements of the arts and crafts movement. One example in particular is a bed and breakfast in Lake Pointe which is fully decorated in this particular style. Most of the furniture and decoration found in this hotel is hand crafted. According to their website, " Mission Style furniture is made of solid and sturdy wood with a medium to dark stain. Its signature clean lines and lack of excess ornamentation is accompanied by the fine craftsmanship of the Arts and Crafts Movement. " Lake Point Inn. References
Gothic revival was an 18th century style in architecture also known as the Neo Gothic style which was said to be inspired by the Medieval Style. It originally started in Britain ( mainly in Oxford and Cambridge) and is mostly popular for church structures with characteristics such as pointed arches, excessive use of windows, many decorative elements, and painted glass. It originated due to the fact that some weren't very keen on the result of the industrial revolution so they wanted to resurrect the gothic style once again. Gothic revival eventually influenced almost everything in society including the way they dressed, furniture designs and also graphic design. One of the very fist architectural buildings of this style was the House of Horace Walpole in Strawberry Hills. Contrary to the dark middle ages when Gothic architecture was popular as now the designs had nothing to do with darkness. All the glass windows,large spaces and high vaults were the complete opposite. We have a period of 300 years split into three phases. Lancet period 1200-1300,decorated period 1300-1400 and perpendicular gothic style 1400-1500. The worlds famous Cathedrals, churches and palaces are all gothic. Take for example Reims Cathedral better known as Notre-dame of Reins it is a complete work of art both inside and outside. Other examples of Gothic are Canterbury Cathedral and westminister abbey in London. Unfortunately with the discovery of new materials, people moved on to another style. Gothic architecture in MaltaThis style is evident in both Malta and Gozo in many different villages. Pointed arches, flying buttresses and glass windows are recurrent throughout. References
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