Bauhaus

Cathedral, Lyonel Feininger, MoMA, 1919

The Bauhaus promoted fine art with functional design that has soul. Due to industrialization and the mass production of standardized products, critics could argue that the objects people consume have become soulless in the early 20th century. The Bauhaus tried to change that. In the Bauhaus Manifesto, Gropius proclaims, “young people who take a joy in artistic creation…will be able to achieve excellence.” Here, Gropius connects joy with work again by stating that it's through the creative process that excellence is achieved. Without joy in the work, objects become lifeless and carry less meaning. This could be proven by the fact that industrial workers often had poor working conditions and performed menial labor, which would not have contributed to joy in the manufacturing process. 

In Albers’ discussion on her book On Weaving, Albers talks about how textiles had qualities that were admired, which exceeded the need for utilitarian function. Albers later states, “All these reasons, except for the last, make us admire fabrics still today, for here are the intangible qualities to be found, lying in the direction of art.” The word intangible stands out in connection to the fabrics, which were acknowledged to have beauty, color, and quality in how they were made. Despite all of these characteristics, there is an intangible quality that relates to the idea that the product has a soul. The soul and the intangible signify something that goes beyond and is difficult to grasp. The essence of this fabric has all the worth that the Bauhaus sought to promote. 

The Bauhaus also sought the equality of the arts. Painting, sculpture, and architecture were considered fine art. The crafts were on a lower echelon. By linking craft to the building, Gropius declares that craft is, in essence, fine art. Gropius states, “To embellish buildings was once the noblest function of the fine arts; they were the indispensable components of great architecture”. Through woodworking, textiles, ceramics, and glassmaking, all of these trades are part of the building process and are not separate from the production of a structure. In this way, Gropious elevates the craftperson to the level of artist. 

In another argument, Gropius "lowers" the status of the artist to that of a craftsman. After admonishing artists to return to the crafts, Gropius states, "There is no essential difference between the artist and the craftsman. The artist is an exalted craftsman." By viewing class distinctions from this perspective, I believe Gropius is suggesting that the work of the artist and the craftsperson is not much different. The same mental capacities and skills required to make good crafts are the same as those used to make fine art. There are also some nuances that we see today. Many may consider craftspeople to be hardworking, honest, and dedicated to quality and service. Artists may want such descriptors in their job resumes as well.