Original Bauhaus Journals for Free: Gropius, Klee, Kandinsky and More
openculture.comI visited the Cité U in Paris recently where different countries have residence housing for students, each respective building designed in a particular architectural style.
Germany's Maison Heinrich Heine, constructed in Bauhaus style [1], didn't particularly impress me. It was dull and rather uninteresting. I had the opposite feeling of what one generally fells in a place like this, surrounded by trees and Greek and Roman-inspired architecture like Fondation Rosa Abreu De Grancher [2].
I think it is a victim of own success. The bauhaus school design has creeped in so many parts of our modern life that the originals no longer seem as interesting. That was a little bit of the vibe I get when I went to the Bauhaus museum in Germany the past summer. It is still beautiful, nevertheless.
Indeed. Bauhaus is the precursor of many modern design schools, like Mid-century Scandinavian.
And modern buildings in this style are a total delight to be in. Functional, simple, bright, cozy and often inexpensive.
But as you say original Bauhaus looks conventional because we judge it by modern standards.
Except in US residential construction where it is vanishingly rare.
Yes, same in UK where sadly designs tend to be quite bland and quality is atrocious.
I agree with you. I've had experiences where I'll see a building or piece of furniture and ignore it, only to find out that it's not a "modern" or new building, but was designed and built decades earlier than I may have thought - sometimes even a century ago. In context you realize how important they are even if we've grown used to the look and feel.
Try proposing them in the US.
In the past I thought the same. But after visiting the original Bauhaus buildings [1] in Dessau / Germany my mind changed. There is a beauty in this simple, clear and elegant design especially considering the contrast to typical corny buildings of that time.
https://www.bauhaus-dessau.de/de/architektur/bauhausbauten/m...
I had the same feeling. The elegance and human-centeredness of the original is often lost in lesser implementations of the style.
Totally agree. There’s simply too much bauhausinspired architecture out there, so now it looks unimaginative and dull.
Just started to read the included book from Kasimir Malewitsch called "Die Gegenstandslose Welt" (The Objectless World), where starts with philosophy about systems (that they're always static, and only dynamic during creation while becoming a system), normality in fine arts (pointing out that Rembrandt is considered normal and the point from which other works were judged). Just a few sites in so far, but it's already deep.
Many thanks for these books.
Just wonder why the way it was distributed. Is the dropbox traffic free for 1.3 GB download or ... There is strangely not even an option just to copy to my dropbox so I can share the load. And I guess they were too political correct to use torrent but that is the way even for ubuntu distribution. 1.3 GB is a lot of bandwidth. In fact, this apply to the files for academic just public domain. That is also a large file collection. Just wonder
In norway the bahaus style srchitecture has been so succesful that almost no large buildings has been designed with ornaments on the outside since after world war 2. There only exception is a very few postmodern buildings designed in the 1980’s. Graphic designers have no problems using old typefaces, like the 200 year old typegace bodoni that can be seen in h&m and lady gaga ads. Comsidering how hughely sought after old apartments in the cities are in norway, it does not make sense that they do not build any apartments in that style anymore. Norway also has a serious problem with urban sprawl. It could have helped if there were more housing other than bauhausinspired architecture offered.
https://frinkiac.com/caption/S14E18/369077
"Hey, we could go to Walter Gropius's!"
bonus: the exhibitor is at Homer's because the "Take One" sign.
So good. And just in time for the centenary celebration ;)