Bauhaus (1919 - 1940's)
Bauhaus is a school of architecture and design that was created in Germany in 1919. The Bauhaus ("house for a building" in German) was founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar. Germany had lost World War I, had been stripped of its might at Versailles; the Bauhaus was a design and architectural response to these political and social events. Simply put, the Bauhaus ideal was seen as artistic practicality and the complete removal of decorative and bourgeois influences.
The Bauhaus School's primary intention was to help to rebuild the country and form a new social order. To achieve this they developed an academic format that produced some of the greatest architects and designers of the 20th Century. Bauhaus Director Mies van der Rohe developed the design concept that is the basis for the modern glass covered skyscraper.
The teachers in the early days of the Bauhaus were primarily painters. Swiss painter Paul Klee joined the Bauhaus in 1921, heading the "Bookbinding" workshop and teaching courses such as weaving and painting. Wassily Kandinsky joined the Bauhaus in 1922 and headed the "Murals" workshop and taught the popular free painting class for more than five years.
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