Expressionism

1794 Words4 Pages

With the start of the twentieth-century there was a start of a new design movement that capitalized on the past ways of handicraft and the recent years of industrial production. The Arts and Crafts movement during the late nineteenth-century was fairly anti-industrial production and turned its focus back towards designing and creating by hand. As this movement came to a close Expressionism was emerging and it took handicraft characteristics from the Arts and Crafts movement and highlighted where the machine could refine the work of the hand. Modern architects such as Mies van der Rohe, Frank Llyod Wright, Gerrit Rietveld, Walter Gropius, and others valued the possibilities that machines made available. Many of the Expressionistic principles influenced German architect, Walter Gropius and furthermore, his creation of the design school Staatliches Bauhaus in 1919. His main intention with this school from the beginning was to teach all disciplines within the fine arts to aspiring designers and encourage innovative styles. The Bauhaus school had gone through multiple enhancements since its early years, but one of the most monumental improvements came with the artist Theo van Doesburg, who introduced the new art and design movement of De Stijl to the Bauhaus teachings. With De Stijl came regimented characteristics to design and more importantly, an alternative to Expressionism. The historical shift from Expressionism towards De Stijl transfigured the ways in which designers will design for years to come. This universal change in design principles can be identified in the relationship between Walter Gropius with his creation of the Bauhaus, and with its introduction of De Stijl qualities via Theo van Doesburg.
Both Expressionist artis...

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...chool at Weimar in 1919 to the move in 1926 at Dessau, the school continually refined its course developments but maintained Walter Gropius’ idea to encourage innovation in design through educating students in all fine art disciplines. This idea always had potential, but gained even more attention with the incorporation of De Stijl. The impact that the De Stijl movement had on Walter Gropius is apparent in his design of the Bauhaus at Dessau, which visually displays the transition from his Expressionistic ways to more De Stijl characteristics. The Bauhaus is the original school of design that has influenced proceeding design institutions for ninety-five years. Without the inclusion of De Stijl characteristics and the teachings of Theo van Doesberg, the Bauahaus wouldn’t have made the everlasting impact on the design world and its teachings that is prevalent today.

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