An art movement is a particular technique used to create art that spans over a period of time that is either subtly or distinctly different from another art movement ("Art Movements", 2012). A particular art movement is used by a group of artists during a given period or by a group of artists from the same region ("Art Movements", 2012). After further research I have concluded that an art movement may be inspired by many conditions be it politically, environmentally, or even an artists own emotional state. Some are even inspired by previous art movements ("Art Movements", 2012).
The art movement I have chosen is:
Bauhaus
xx Originated in Germany.
xx Influenced by the political situation in Germany.
xx Influenced by Constructivism.
xx William Morris, a 19th century English designer, argued that art should be the harmony of its function and its design.
xx It was also greatly influenced by Modernism movement. Dumping the traditional ideas for constructing art and adopting unconventional and abstract values that became more popular after the devastation that was World War 1.
xx Bauhaus emerged when a group of working architects moved from fanciful experimentation to functional building.
xx Bauhaus school operated by integrating applied arts and fine arts, and was led by Walter Gropius. xx The idea that mass-production could work together with the individual artistic spirit due to industrialism fueled Bauhaus.
How is it unique?
It is unique because it has influenced architecture up to the 21st century, which is the time we're living in now. The idea is so greatly appreciated that it has lasted over a century. People in the 21st century get to experience Bauhaus through modern furniture design, amongst other things. Many art movements are forgotten and do not make much of an impact in the society, Bauhaus is the total opposite of that. "The Bauhaus had a major impact on art and architecture trends in Western Europe, the United States, Canada and Israel (particularly in the White City of Tel Aviv) in the decades following its demise, as many of the artists involved fled, or were exiled, by the Nazi regime. Tel Aviv, in fact, in 2004 was named to the list of world heritage sites by the UN due to its abundance of Bauhaus architecture; it had some 4,000 Bauhaus buildings erected from 1933 on." (Wikipedia)
Artist:
Walter Gropius was a very distinct figure behind the Bauhaus movement. Bauhaus was actually a school in Germany where Gropius intended on teaching fine arts and applied arts. Gropius became the successor of the school when Henry van de Velde, the master of the Grand-Ducal Saxon School of Arts and Crafts in Weimar, was asked to step down. Bauhaus operated from 1919 - 1933, then Gropius moved to the U.S. in 1934. He went on to teach at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He was influenced by expressionism at one point, which was when he designed "Monument of the March Dead" in 1919. Gropius was responsible in bringing "International Modernism" to the U.S. and he did this through the house he built for himself in Massachusetts. (Wikipedia)
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| Swinging by Wassily Kadinsky |
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| Black Relationship by Wassily Kadinsky |
Line: Lots of lines are used in Bauhaus Art, be it a straight line, a diagonal line, or a curved line. All these lines express different things. In "Black Relationship", diagonal, vertical, and horizontal lines are used the most. According to Lauer and Pentak (1995), diagonal lines suggest energy and movement. Vertical lines are said to suggest the "possibility of movement" (Tersiisky, 2004) and horizontal lines suggest a quiet nature (Tersiisky, 2004).
Shape: Geometrical shapes and abstract shapes are very popular in Bauhaus art. Geometrical shapes are "crisp, precise and mathematical with straight edges and consistent curves" (Stewart, 2002). Having said that, this reflects the architectural part of Bauhaus art, which is calculative. The abstract shapes are used to reflect an object (Bevlin, 1994), not represent an object like organic shapes would. The abstract shapes represent the conceptual element of Bauhaus art.
Color: Kadinsky used the colors yellow, red, and blue in many of his works. After some research, I've found that Bauhaus artworks do not implement a particular color or a type of color, but show instead the relationship between the colors.
Value: Kadinsky uses low value contrast in his artwork. At Bauhaus school, Johannes Itten taught students to obtain contrast by working with light, moderate and dark values.
Texture: Visual texture is perceived when art is visually sensed but is interpreted in a tactile manner (Zelanski & Fisher, 1996). Where Bauhaus inspired artwork is concerned, there's not much texture as geometrical shapes are used and everything seems flat.
Principles of design in Bauhaus Art:
Unity: Unity is present in Bauhaus art through the proximity of the shapes and lines, repetition in lines and color, alignment of all the elements, and continuation of the elements.
Variety: Without unity, an image is chaotic and “unreadable”; without variety it is dull and uninteresting (Lauer & Pentak, 1995). Ways to vary elements include (Brainard, 1998)
• Line - thinness, thickness, value, color, angle, length
• Shape - size, color, orientation and texture, type
• Color – hue, value, saturation
• Value – darkness, lightness, high-key, low-key, value contrast
• Texture – rough, smooth
Bauhaus inspired artwork embraces variety through the many elements the artist incorporates into it.
Emphasis: Bauhaus art is known for having much emphasis as its principle of design. When looking at a Bauhaus artwork, one cannot help but notice the different elements used to bring out, for example, a circle in a field of squares or a little red dot on a grey background. Isolating an element from the others by its position in space will also create emphasis (Lauer & Pentak, 1995), as seen in "Black Relationship" by Kadinsky.
