Translation

ofIdee

undA

ufbaudes

StaoflichenB

auhausesW

eimar.

Thedom

inantspirit

ofour

epochis

alreadyrecognizable

althoughits

formis

notyet

clear

lydefined.

Theold

dualisticw

orld-conceptw

hichenvisaged

theego

inopposition

tothe

universeis

rapidlylosing

ground.In

itsplace

isrising

theidea

ofa

universalunity

inw

hichall

opposingforces

existin

astate

ofabsolute

balance.This

dawning

recognitionof

theessen

tialoneness

ofall

thingsand

theirappearances

endows

creativeeffort

with

afundam

entalinner

meaning.

No

longercan

anythingexist

inisolation.

We

perceiveevery

formas

theem

bodiment

ofan

idea,every

pieceof

work

asa

manifestation

ofour

innermost

selves.Only

work

which

isthe

productof

innercom

pulsioncan

havespiritual

meaning.

Mechanized

work

islifeless,

properonly

tothe

lifelessm

achine,Solong,

however,

asm

achine-economy

remains

anend

initself

ratherthan

am

eansof

freeingthe

intellectfrom

theburden

ofm

echanicallabor,

theindividual

will

remain

enslavedand

societyw

illrem

aindisordered.

Thesolution

dependson

achange

inthe

individual’sattitude

toward

hisw

ork,not

onthe

betterment

ofhis

outward

circum

stances,and

theacceptance

ofthis

newprinciple

isof

decisiveim

portancefor

newcreative

work.

Thedecadence

ofarchitecture

Thecharacter

ofan

epochis

epitomized

inits

buildings.In

them,

itsspiritual

andm

aterialresources

findconcrete

expression,and,

inco

nsequence,

thebuildings

themselves

offerirrefu

tableevidence

ofinner

orderor

innerconfusion.

Avital

architecturalspirit,

rootedin

theentire

lifeof

apeople,

representsthe

interrelationof

allphases

ofcreative

effort,all

arts,all

techniques.

Architecture

todayhas

forfeitedits

statusas

aunifying

art.It

hasbecom

em

erescholarship.

Itsutter

confusionm

irrorsan

up

rootedw

orldw

hichhas

lostthe

comm

onw

illnecessary

forall

correlatedeffort.

New

structuralelem

entsdevelop

veryslow

ly,for

theevolution

ofarchitectural

formis

dep

end

entnot

onlyupon

anim

mense

expenditureof

technicaland

material

resources,but

alsoupon

theem

ergenceof

newphilosophical

conceptsderiving

froma

seriesof

intuitiveperceptions.

Theevolution

ofform

,therefore,

lagsfar

be

hindthe

ideasw

hichengender

it.The

artof

architectureis

dependentupon

thecooperation

ofm

anyindividuals,

whose

work

reflectsthe

attitudeof

theentire

comm

unity.In

contrast,certain

otherarts

reflectonly

narrowsections

oflife.

Theart

ofarchitecture

andits

many

branchesshould

benot

aluxury,

butthe

life-longpreoccupation

ofa

whole

people.The

widespread

viewthat

artis

aluxury

isa

corruption

bornof

thespirit

ofyesterday,

which

isolated

artisticphenom

ena(fart

pourfart)

and

thusdeprived

themof

vitality.A

tthe

veryout

setthe

newarchitectural

spiritdem

andsnew

conditionsfor

allcreative

effort.

The“academ

y”

Thetool

ofthe

spiritof

yesterdayw

asthe

“academy.”

Itshut

offthe

artistfrom

thew

orld

ofindustry

andhandicraft,

andthus

brought

abouthis

complete

isolationfrom

thecom

mu

nity.In

vitalepochs,

onthe

otherhand,

theart

istenriched

allthe

artsand

craftsof

acom

mu

nitybecause

hehad

apart

inits

vocationallife,

andbecause

heacquired

throughactual

prac

ticeas

much

adeptnessand

understandingas

anyother

worker

who

beganat

thebottom

andw

orkedhis

way

up.But

latelythe

artisthas

beenm

isledby

thefatal

andarrogant

fallacy,fostered

bythe

state,that

artis

aprofession

which

canbe

mastered

bystudy.

Schoolingalone

cannever

produceart!

Whether

thefin

ishedproduct

isan

exercisein

ingenuityor

aw

orkof

artdepends

onthe

talentof

theindi

vidualw

hocreates

it.This

qualitycannot

betaught

andcannot

belearned.

On

theother

hand,m

anualdexterity

andthe

thoroughknow

l

edgew

hichis

anecessary

foundationfor

all

creativeeffort,

whether

thew

orkman’s

orthe

artist’s,can

betaught

andlearned.

Isolationof

theartist

Academ

ictraining,

however,

broughtabout

thedevelopm

entof

agreat

art-proletariatd

estined

tosocial

misery.

Forthis

art-proletariat,lulled

intoa

dreamof

geniusand

enmeshed

inartistic

conceit,w

asbeing

preparedfor

the“profession”

ofarchitecture,

painting,sculpture

orgraphic

art,w

ithoutbeing

giventhe

equip

ment

ofa

realeducation—

which

alonecould

haveassured

itof

economic

andesthetic

independence.

Itsabilities,

inthe

finalanalysis,

were

confinedto

asort

of drawing-painting

that

hadno

relationto

therealities

ofm

aterials,

techniquesor

economics.

Lackof

allvital

con

nectionw

iththe

lifeof

thecom

munity

ledinevi

tablyto

barrenesthetic

speculation.The

fun

da

mental

pedagogicm

istakeof

theacadem

yarose

fromits

preoccupationw

iththe

ideaof

theindividual

geniusand

itsdiscounting

the

valueof

comm

endableachievem

enton

aless

exaltedlevel.

Sincethe

academy

traineda

myriad

ofm

inortalents

indraw

ingand

pain

ting,

ofw

homscarcely

onein

athousand

be

came

agenuine

architector

painter,the

greatm

assof

theseindividuals,

fedupon

falsehopes

andtrained

asone-sided

academicians,

was

condemned

toa

lifeof

fruitlessartistic

activity.U

nequippedto

functionsuccessfully

inthe

strugglefor

existence,they

foundthem

selves

numbered

among

thesocial

drones,useless,

byvirtue

oftheir

schooling,in

theproductive

lifeof

thenation.

With

thedevelopm

entof

theacadem

iesg

en

uinefolk

artdied

away.

What

remained

was

a

drawing-room

artdetached

fromlife.

Inthe

19th

centurythis

dwindled

tothe

productionof

indi

vidualpaintings

totallydivorced

fromany

rela

tionto

anarchitectural

entity.T

hesecond

half

ofthe

19thcentury

sawthe

beginningof

ap

ro

testagainst

thedevitalising

influenceof

the

academies.

Ruskin

andM

orrisin

England,

van

deV

eldein

Belgium

,O

lbrich,B

ehrensand

othersin

Germ

any,and,

finally,the

Deutsche

Werkbund,

allsought,

andin

theend

discov

ered,the

basisof

areunion

between

creative

artistsand

theindustrial

world.

InG

ermany,

artsand

crafts(K

unstgewerbe)

schoolsw

ere

foundedfor

thepurpose

ofdeveloping,

ina

newgeneration,

talentedindividuals

trainedin

industryand

handicraft.B

utthe

academy

was

toofirm

lyestablished:

practicaltraining

never

advancedbeyond

dilettantism,

anddraughted

andrendered

“design”rem

ainedin

thefo

re

ground.The

foundationsof

thisattem

ptw

ere

laidneither

wide

enoughnor

deepenough

to

availm

uchagainst

theold

fartpour

I’artat

titude,soalien

to,and

sofar

removed

fromlife.

THETHEORY

ANDO

RGA

NIZA

TION

OFTHE

BAUHAUSby

WALTER

GROPIUS

DEE

IAJJFBAU

OE

SS

TA

AT

LC

t*N8A

UH

AU

SE

S

WEIM

APW

AL

TE

RG

RO

PIUS

Publishedin

1923at

theB

auhausverlag,M

unich,during

the4th

yearof

theB

auhausat

Weim

ar.A

fewparagraphs

andoccasional

sentenceshave

beenom

itted,

forthe

sakeof

brevity.M

onyof

thesubheadings

havebeen

added.

21

Dearth

ofindustrial

designers

Meanw

hile,the

crafts—and

more

especiallythe

industries—began

tocast

aboutfor

artists.A

demand

arosefor

productsoutw

ardlyat

tractiveas

well

astechnically

andeconom

icallyacceptable.

Thetechnicians

couldnot

satisfyit.

Som

anufacturersstarted

tobuy

so-called“artistic

designs.”This

was

anineffective

substitute,

forthe

artistw

astoo

much

removed

fromthe

world

abouthim

andtoo

littleschooled

intechnique

andhandicraft

toadjust

hisconcep

tionsof

formto

thepractical

processesof

pro

duction.A

tthe

same

time,

them

erchantsand

technicianslacked

theinsight

torealize

thatap

pearance,efficiency

andexpense

couldbe

sim

ultaneouslycontrolled

onlyby

planningand

producingthe

industrialobject

with

thecareful

cooperationof

theartist

responsiblefor

itsde

sign.Since

therew

asa

dearthof

artistsad

equately

trainedfor

suchw

ork,it

was

logicalto

establishthe

following

basicrequirem

entsfor

thefuture

trainingof

allgifted

individuals:a

thoroughpractical,

manual

trainingin

work

shopsactively

engagedin

production,coupled

with

soundtheoretical

instructionin

thelaw

sof

design.

Analysis

ofthe

designingprocess

Theobjective

ofall

creativeeffort

inthe

vis

ualarts

isto

giveform

tospace.

..

.Butw

hatis

space,how

canit

beunderstood

andgiven

aform

?A

lthoughw

em

ayachieve

anaw

arenessof

theinfinite

we

cangive

formto

spaceonly

with

finitem

eans.W

ebecom

eaw

areof

spacethrough

ourundivided

Ego,through

thesim

ultaneous

activityof

soul,m

indand

body.A

likeconcentration

ofall

ourforces

isnecessary

togive

itform

.T

hroughhis

intuition,through

hism

etaphysicalpow

ers,m

andiscovers

theim

ma

terialspace

ofinw

ardvision

andinspiration.

Thisconception

ofspace

demands

realizationin

them

aterialw

orld,a

realizationw

hichis

ac

complished

bythe

brainand

thehands.

Thebrain

conceivesof

mathem

aticalspace

interm

sof

numbers

anddim

ensions.-

..

The

handm

astersm

atterthrough

thecrafts,

andw

iththe

helpof

toolsand

machinery.

Conception

andvisualization

arealw

ayssi

multaneous.

Only

theindividual’s

capacityto

feel,to

knowand

toexecute

variesin

degreeand

inspeed.

True

creativew

orkcan

bedone

onlyby

them

anw

hoseknow

ledgeand

mastery

ofthe

physicallaw

sof

statics,dynam

ics,op

tics,acoustics

equiphim

togive

lifeand

shapeto

hisinner

vision.In

aw

orkof

artthe

laws

ofthe

physicalw

orld,the

intellectualw

orldand

thew

orldof

thespirit

functionand

areex

pressedsim

ultaneously.

TheB

auhausat

Weim

ar

Everyfactor

thatm

ustbe

consideredin

aneducational

systemw

hichis

toproduce

activelycreative

human

beingsis

implicit

insuch

anan

alysisof

thecreative

process.A

tthe

“StateB

auhausat

Weim

ar”the

attempt

was

made

forthe

firsttim

eto

incorporateall

thesefactors

ina

consistentprogram

.In

1915,during

thew

ar,the

authorhad

beensum

moned

toan

audiencew

iththe

Grand

Duke

ofS

axe-Weim

arto

discusshis

takingover

theA

cademy

forA

rtsand

Crafts

fromthe

distinguished

Belgian

architect,H

enryvan

deV

elde,w

hohad

himself

suggestedG

ropiusas

hissu

ccessor.

Having

askedfor,

andbeen

accorded,full

powers

inregard

toreorganization,

inthe

springof

1919the

authorassum

edthe

directorship

ofthe

Grand

Ducal

SaxonA

cademy

forPictorial

Art

(Grossherzogliche

SdchsischeH

ochschule

fürB

ildendeK

unst)as

well

asof

theG

randD

ucalSaxon

Academ

yfor

Arts

andC

rafts(G

rossherzoglicheSächsische

Kunstge

werbeschule)

andunited

themunder

thenew

name

of“State

Bouhaus”

(StaatlichesB

auhaus).The

theoreticalcurriculum

ofan

artacadem

ycom

binedw

iththe

practicalcurriculum

ofan

artsand

craftsschool

was

toconstitute

thebasis

ofa

comprehensive

systemfor

giftedstudents.

Itscredo

was;

“TheB

auhausstrives

toco

ord

inate

allcreative

effort,to

achieve,in

anew

architecture,the

unificationof

alltraining

inart

anddesign.

Theultim

ate,if

distant,goal

of

theB

auhausis

thecollective

work

ofart—

theB

uilding—in

which

nobarriers

existbetw

eenthe

structuraland

thedecorative

arts.”The

guidingprinciple

ofthe

Bauhaus

was

thereforethe

ideaof

creatinga

newunity

throughthe

welding

togetherof

many

“arts”and

movem

ents:a

unityhaving

itsbasis

inM

anhim

selfand

significantonly

asa

livingorganism

.

THE

CU

RR

ICU

LUM

Thecourse

ofinstruction

atthe

Bauhaus

isdivided

into: Hum

anachievem

entdepends

onthe

propercoordination

ofall

thecreative

faculties.It

is

notenough

toschool

oneor

anotherof

themseparately:

theym

ustall

bethoroughly

trained

atthe

same

time.

Thecharacter

andscope

of

theB

auhausteachings

derivefrom

therealiza

tionof

this.

23

I.Instruction

incrafts

(Werklehre):

STO

NE

WO

OD

META

LCLA

YG

LASS

CO

LO

RTEX

TILES

SculptureC

arpentryM

etalPottery

Stained

glassW

all-paintingW

eaving

workshop

workshop

workshop

workshop

workshop

workshop

workshop

A.

Instructionin

materials

andtools

B.E

lements

ofbook-keeping,

estimating,

contracting

II.Instruction

inform

problems

(Formlehre):

1.O

bservation2.

Representation

3.C

omposition

A.

Studyof

natureA

.D

escriptivegeom

etryA

.T

heoryofspace

B.A

nalysisof

materials

B.T

echniqueof

constructionB.

Theory

ofcolor

C.D

rawing

ofplans

andbuild-

C.

Theoryofdesign

ingof

models

forall

kindsof

constructions

Supplem

entaryinstruction

Lectures

infields

relatingto

artand

science,past

andpresent.

Thecurriculum

includesthree

departments

(compare

with

theplan):

1.The

preliminary

course,lasting

halfa

year.E

lementary

instructionin

problems

ofform

,combined

with

practicalexperim

entsw

ithdifferent

materials

inthe

workshops

forbeginners.

Result:

Adm

issionto

oneof

thew

orkshops.2.

Instructionin

acraft

inone

ofthe

workshops

aftersigning

legalarticles

ofapprenticeship;

advancedinstruction

inform

.Three

yearcourse.

Result:

Journeyman’s

Diplom

aof

theC

hamber

ofC

rafts(G

esellenbriefder

Handw

erkskamm

et-)and,

undercertain

circumstances,

Diplom

aof

theB

auhaus.3.

Instructionin

architecture.Practical

participationin

buildingsunder

con

structionand,

forespecially

talentedjourney

men,

independentarchitectural

trainingin

theB

auhausR

esearchD

epartment.

Duration:

dependingon

achievement

andsp

ecial

circumstances.

Architectural

activityand

experimental

work

representa

continuationof

instructionin

craftsand

form.

Result:

Master’s

Diplom

aof

theC

hamber

ofC

raftsand,

underspecial

circumstances,

Diplo

ma

ofthe

Bauhaus.

During

theentire

curriculuma

practicalcourse

inthe

fundamental

relationshipsof

sound,color

andform

isfollow

ed,designed

toharm

onizethe

physicaland

psychicqualities

ofthe

individual.

The

Preliminary

Course

(Vorlehre*)

Practicaland

theoreticalstudies

arecarried

onsim

ultaneouslyin

orderto

releasethe

creative

powers

ofthe

student,to

helphim

graspthe

physicalnature

ofm

aterialsand

thebasic

laws

ofdesign.

Concentration

onary

particularstyl

isticm

ovement

isstudiously

avoided.O

bserv

a

*T

heprelim

inarycourse

was

developedby

JohonnesItten;

hecontinued

andenlarged

atthe

Bashaus

thecourses

hehad

alreadybeen

givingin

1918in

Vienna.

At

theB

auhaus,the

preliminary

coursew

asrequired

aspreparation

forw

orkin

thew

orkshops.

tionand

representation—w

iththe

intentionof

showing

thedesired

identityof

Formand

Con

tent—define

thelim

itsof

theprelim

inarycourse.

Itschief

functionis

toliberate

theindividual

bybreaking

down

conventionalpatterns

ofthoughtin

orderto

make

way

forpersonal

experiencesand

discoveriesw

hichw

illenable

himto

seehis

own

potentialitiesand

limitations.

Forthis

reason

collectivew

orkis

notessential

inthe

preliminary

course.B

othsubjective

andobjective

observationw

illbe

cultivated:both

thesystem

ofabstract

laws

andthe

interpretationof

ob

jectivem

atter.A

boveall

else,the

discoveryand

properv

aluation

ofthe

individual’sm

eansof

expressionshall

besought

out.The

creativepossibilities

ofindividuals

vary.O

nefinds

hiselem

entaryex

pressionsin

rhythm,

anotherin

lightand

shade,a

thirdin

color,a

fourthin

materials,

afifth

insound,

asixth

inproportion,

aseventh

inv

ol

umes

orabstract

space,an

eighthin

therela

tionsbetw

eenone

andanother,

orbetw

eenthe

two

toa

thirdor

fourth.A

llthe

work

producedin

theprelim

inarycourse

isdone

underthe

influenceof

instructors.Itpossessses

artisticquality

onlyin

sofar

asany

directand

logicallydeveloped

expressionof

anindividual

which

servesto

laythe

foundationsof

creativediscipline

canbe

calledart.

Instructionin

craftsand

formproblem

s

Inearlier

centuriesw

henthere

was

noaca

demic

instructionin

thecrafts

orarts,

studentsw

eretaught

independentlyby

am

asterw

how

asa

craftsman

asw

ellas

anartist.

Suchin

structionw

ouldstill

bethe

best.But,

becauseof

thedisastrous

secessionof

artfrom

thew

ork

aday

lifeof

thepeople,

inour

time

suchcreative

versatilityno

longerexists

andit

istherefore

impossible

forone

man

toundertake

astudent’s

entireart

education.Synthesis

isthe

onlyso

lution:

coordinatedinstruction

bytw

om

asters,one

acraftsm

an,the

otheran

artist.Thus,

dou

blytrained,

afuture

generationof

creativelygifted

workers

may

oncem

oreachieve

anew

productivecoordination,

andm

aygradually

become

indispensablecollaborators

inthe

work

inglife

ofthe

people.W

iththis

inm

indthe

Bau

haushas

ruled(1)

thatevery

apprenticeand

journeyman

istaught

bytw

om

asters,a

crafts

man

andan

artist,w

how

orkin

closeco

opera

tion;(2)

thatinstruction

incrafts

andin

thetheory

ofform

arefundam

ental:no

apprenticeor

journeyman

canbe

excusedfrom

either.

Production

work

inthe

Studiesin

ma-

workshop

ofthe

prelim

terials.Free

Theory

ofm

arycourse.

Work

increative

work

formand

allthe

craftsunder

thein

differentcolor

technicalsupervision

ofm

aterialsthe

respectivem

asters.

Draw

ingM

athematics

Draughting

Syntheticfrom

Physicsand

technicalstudy

ofsp

acN

atureM

echanicsC

onstruction

Instructionin

crafts

Training

ina

craftis

aprerequisite

forco

llective

work

inarchitecture.

Thistraining

pur

poselycom

batsthe

dilettantismof

previousgenerations

inthe

appliedarts.

Everyap

pren

tice,by

signingthe

articlesissued

bythe

Cham

berof

Crafts,

engageshim

selfto

work

throughthe

lawfully

prescribedperiod

ofapprentice

ship.The

teachingof

acraft

servessolely

totrain

thehand

andto

ensuretechnical

pro

ficiency;

itis

byno

means

anend

initself.

Itsaim

isto

addto

am

any-sidededucation

ratherthan

todevelop

thespecialized

craftsman.

TheB

auhausbelieves

them

achineto

beour

modern

medium

ofdesign

andseeks

tocom

eto

terms

with

it.But

it would

besenseless

tolaunch

agifted

apprenticeinto

industryw

ithoutprep

aration

ina

craftand

hopethereby

toreestablish

theartist’s

lostcontact

with

thew

orldof

pro

duction.H

ew

ouldbe

stifledby

them

aterialisticand

one-sidedoutlook

predominant

infactories

today.A

craft,how

ever,cannot

conflictw

ith

thefeeling

forw

orkw

hich,as

anartist,

heinevitably

has,anditis

thereforehis

besto

ppo

rtunity

forpractical

training.The

principaldifference

between

factoryp

roduction

andhandicraft

liesnot

inthe

machine’s

superiorityover

more

primitive

toolsas

anin

strument

oftechnical

precision,but

inthe

factthat

inthe

factoryeach

operationinvolved

inm

anufacturinga

productis

performed

bya

dif

ferentm

an,w

hereasthe

craftproduct

ism

adeentirely

byone

person.But

ifindustry

isto

de

velop,the

useof

machinery

andthe

divisionof

laborm

ustbe

maintained.

Neither

factoris

initself

responsiblefor

theloss

ofcreative

unityw

hichhas

resultedfrom

technologicaldevelop

ment.

Theroot

ofthe

evilexists

ratherin

them

uchtoo

materialistic

attitudeof

ourtim

esand

inthe

lossof

contactbetw

eenthe

individualand

thecom

munity.

Itfollow

sthat

theB

auhausdoes

notpretend

tobe

acrafts

school.C

ontactw

ithindustry

isconsciously

sought,for

theold

tradesare

nolonger

veryvital

anda

turningback

tothem

would

thereforebe

anatavistic

mistake.

Crafts

manship

andindustry

aretoday

steadilyap

proachingone

anotherand

aredestined

even

tuallyto

merge

intoone.

Sucha

newproductive

unionw

illgive

everyindividual

thatunder

standingof

anddesire

forcooperation

which

isessential

tocreative

work.

Inthis

unionthe

oldcraft

workshops

will

developinto

industriallab

oratories:from

theirexperim

entationw

illevolvestandards

forindustrial

production.The

teachingof

acroft

ism

eantto

preparefor

designingfor

mass

production.Starting

with

thesim

plesttools

andleast

complicated

jobs,he

graduallyacquires

abilityto

master

more

intricateproblem

sand

tow

orkw

ithm

achinery,

while

atthe

same

time

hekeeps

intouch

with

theentire

processof

productionfrom

startto

finish,w

hereasthe

factoryw

orkernever

getsbeyond

theknow

ledgeof

onephase

ofthe

process.T

hereforethe

Bauhaus

isco

nsciously

seekingcontacts

with

existingindustrial

enterprises,for

thesake

ofm

utualstim

ulation.From

thesecontacts

with

industrythe

app

ren

24

General

coordination(H

armonisierungslehre)

ticeand,

later,the

journeyman

learnnot

onlyto

extendtheir

technicalexperience

butalso

toconsider,

incarrying

outtheirwork,the

unavoidable

demands

which

industrym

akeson

thein

di

vidualto

economize

ontim

eand

means.

Inthe

same

measure,

theacadem

icsuperciliousness

ofanother

dayconstantly

dwindles,

andrespect

forhard

realitiesunites

individualsengaged

ina

comm

onw

ork.A

fterthree

yearsof

thoroughtraining,

theapprentice

undergoesa

work-test

inthe

pres

enceof

acom

mittee

ofestablished

craftsmen.

Having

passedthis,

hebecom

esa

publiclycer

tifiedjourneym

an.Every

journeyman

atthe

Bauhaus

who

ispublicly

certifiedis

entitled,as

soonas

heconsiders

himself

sufficientlyad

vanced,to

afurther

testas

Bauhous

journeym

an”;the

requirements

ofthis

testore

more

severethan

thepublic

test,especially

inregard

tothe

journeyman’s

creativeability.

Instructionin

formproblem

s

Intellectualeducation

runsparallel

tom

anual

training.The

apprenticeis

acquaintedw

ithhis

futurestock-in-trade—

theelem

entsof

formand

colorand

thelaw

sto

which

they-are

sub

ject.Instead

ofstudying

thearbitrary

individualistic

andstylised

formulae

currentat

theacadem

ies,he

isgiven

them

entalequipm

entw

ithw

hichto

shapehis

own

ideasof

form.

Thistraining

opensthe

way

forthe

creativepow

ersof

theindividual,

establishinga

basison

which

differentindividuals

cancooperate

without

los

ingtheir

artisticindependence.

Collective

ar

chitecturalw

orkbecom

espossible

onlyw

henevery

individual,prepared

byproper

schooling,is

capableof

understandingthe

ideaof

thew

hole,and

thushas

them

eansharm

oniouslyto

coordinatehis

independent,even

iflim

ited,ac

tivityw

iththe

collectivew

ork.Instruction

inthe

theoryof

formis

carriedon

inclose

contactw

ithm

anualtraining.

Draw

ingand

planning,thus

losingtheir

purelyacadem

iccharacter,

gainnew

significanceas

auxiliarym

eansof

expression.

We

must

knowboth

vocabularyand

gramm

arin

orderto

speaka

language;only

thencan

we

comm

unicateour

thoughts.M

an,w

hocreates

andconstructs,

must

learnthe

spe

cificlanguage

ofconstruction

inorder

tom

akeothers

understandhis

idea.Its

vocabularyco

nsists

ofthe

elements

ofform

andcolor

andtheir

structurallaw

s.The

mind

must

knowthem

andcontrol

thehand

ifa

creativeidea

isto

bem

adevisible.The

musician

who

wants

tom

akeaudible

am

usicalidea

needsfor

itsrendering

notonly

am

usicalinstrum

entbut

alsoa

knowledge

of-

theory.W

ithoutthis

knowledge,

hisidea

will

neverem

ergefrom

chaos.A

correspondingknow

ledgeof

theory—w

hichexisted

ina

more

vigorousera—

must

againbe

establishedas

abasis

forpractice

inthe

visualarts.

Theacadem

ies,w

hosetask

itm

ighthave

beento

cultivateand

developsuch

atheory,

completely

failedto

doso,

havinglost

contactw

ithreality. T

heoryis

nota

recipefor

them

anufacturing

ofw

orksof

art,but

them

ostessential

element

ofcollective

construction;it

providesthe

comm

onbasis

onw

hichm

anyindividuals

areable

tocreate

togethera

superiorunit

ofw

ork;theory

isnot

theachievem

entof

individuals

butof

generations.The

Bauhaus

isconsciously

formulating

anew

coordinationof

them

eansof

constructionand

expression.W

ithoutthis,

itsultim

ateaim

would

beim

possible.For

collaborationin

agroup

isnot

tobe

obtainedsolely

bycorrelating

theabilities

andtalents

ofvarious

individuals.O

nlyan

apparentunity

canbe

achievedif

many

helperscarry

outthe

designsof

asingle

person.In

fact,the

individual’slabor

within

thegroup

shouldexist

ashis

own

independentaccom

plishm

ent.R

ealunity

canbe

achievedonly

byco

herentrestatem

entof

theform

althem

e,by

repetitionof

itsintegral

proportionsin

allparts

ofthe

work.

Thuseveryone

engagedin

thew

orkm

ustunderstand

them

eaningand

originof

theprincipal

theme.

Forms

andcolors

gainm

eaningonly

asthey

arerelated

toour

innerselves.

Used

separatelyor

inrelation

toone

anotherthey

orethe

means

ofexpressing

differentem

otionsand

move

ments:

theyhave

noim

portanceof

theirow

n.’

Red,

forinstance,

evokesin

usother

emotions

thandoes

blueor

yellow;

roundform

sspeak

differentlyto

usthan

dopointed

orjagged

forms.

Theelem

entsw

hichconstitute

the“g

ramm

ar”of

creationare

itsrules

ofrhythm

,of

pro

portion,of

lightvalues

andfull

orem

ptyspace.

Vocabulary

andgram

mar

canbe

learned,but

them

ostim

portantfactor

ofall,

theorganic

lifeof

thecreated

work,

originatesin

thecrea

tivepow

ersof

theindividual.

Thepractical

trainingw

hichaccom

paniesthe

studiesin

formis

foundedas

much

ono

bservation,

onthe

exactrepresentation

orrep

roduction

ofnature,

asit

ison

thecreation

ofin

dividualcom

positions.T

hesetw

oactivities

areprofoundly

different.The

academies

ceasedto

discriminate

between

them,

confusingnature

andart—

thoughby

theirvery

originthey

areantithetical.

Art

wants

totrium

phover

Nature

andto

resolvethe

oppositionin

anew

unity,and

thisprocess

isconsum

mated

inthe

fightof

thespirit

againstthe

material

world.

Thespirit

createsfor

itselfa

newlife

otherthan

thelife

ofnature.

Eachof

thesedepartm

entsin

thecourse

onthe

theoryof

formfunctions

inclose

associationw

iththe

workshops,

anassociation

which

pre

ventstheir

wandering

offinto

academicism

.

Instructionin

architecture

Only

thejourneym

anw

hohas

beenseasoned

byw

orkshoppractice

andinstruction

inthe

studyof

formis

readyto

collaboratein

building.The

lastand

most

important

stageof

Bauhaus

educationis

thecourse

inarchitecture

with

prac

ticalexperience

inthe

Research

Departm

ent*

asw

ellas

onactual

buildingsunder

construction.

No

apprenticesare

admitted

tothe

Re

searchD

epartment:

onlycertified

journeymen

capableof

working

outby

themselves

technicaland

formal

problems.

They

haveaccess

tothe

draughtingoffice

adjoiningthe

Research

De

partment,

asw

ellas

toall

thew

orkshops,in

or-

*The

Research

Departm

entfor

experimental

work

-was

onlypartially

realized,due

tolack

ofspace

andfunds.

derto

enablethem

tostudy

othercrafts

thantheir

own.

They

areinvited

tocollaborate

bothon

theplans

andthe

actualconstruction

ofbuildings

forw

hichthe

Bauhaus

hasbeen

com

missioned,

sothat

theym

ayhave

theexperi

enceof

cooperatingw

ithall

thebuilding

tradesand,

atthe

same

time,

earntheir

living.In

sofar

asthe

Bauhaus

curriculumdoes

notprovide

advancedcourses

inengineering—

construction

insteel

andreinforced

concrete,statics,

mechanics,

physics,industrial

methods,

heating,plum

bing,technical

chemistry

—it

isconsidered

desirablefor

promising

architecturestudents,

afterconsultation

with

theirm

asters,tocom

pletetheir

educationw

ithcourses

attechni

caland

engineeringschools.

As

am

atterof

principle,journeym

enshould

haveexperience

(machine

work)

inm

anufacturingw

orkshopsother

thanthose

atthe

Bauhaus.

The

newapproach

toarchitecture

Them

ostim

portantcondition

forfruitful

col

laborationon

architecturalproblem

sis

aclear

understandingof

thenew

approachto

archi

tecture.A

rchitectureduring

thelast

fewgen

erations

hasbecom

ew

eaklysentim

ental,esthetic

anddecorative.

Itschief

concernhas

beenw

ithornam

entation,w

iththe

formalistic

useof

motifs,

ornaments

andm

ouldingson

theexterior

ofthe

building—as

ifupon

adead

andsu

perficialm

ass—not

aspart

ofa

livingorganism

.In

thisdecadence

architecturelost

touchw

ithnew

methods

andm

aterials;the

architectw

asengulfed

inacadem

icestheticism

,a

slaveto

narrowconventions,

andthe

planningof

citiesw

asno

longerhis

job.This

kindof

architecturew

edisow

n.W

ew

antto

createa

clear,organic

architecture,w

hoseinner

logicw

illbe

radiantand

naked,unencum

beredby

lyingfaçades

andtrickeries;

we

want

anarchitecture

adaptedto

ourw

orldof

ma

chines,radios

aridfast

motor

cars,an

architecture

whose

functionis

clearlyrecognizable

inthe

relationof

itsform

s.W

iththe

increasingfirm

nessand

densityof

modern

materials—

steel,concrete,

glass—and

2627

II

28

with

thenew

boldnessof

engineering,the

pon

derousnessof

theold

method

ofbuilding

isgiv

ingw

ayto

anew

lightnessand

airiness.A

newesthetic

ofthe

Horizontal

isbeginning

tode

velopw

hichendeavors

tocounteract

theeffect

ofgravity.

At

thesam

etim

ethe

symm

etricalre

lationshipof

partsof

thebuilding

andtheir

ori

entationtow

arda

centralaxis

isbeing

replacedby

anew

conceptionof

equilibriumw

hichtran

sm

utesthis

deadsym

metry

ofsim

ilarparts

intoan

asymm

etricalbut

rhythmical

balance.The

spiritof

thenew

architecturew

antsto

overcome

inertia,to

balancecontrasts.

Sincearchitecture

isa

collectiveart,

itsw

elfare

dependson

thew

holecom

munity.

As

anextrem

einstance,

them

anument

isonly

significant

when

itsprings

fromthe

will

ofthe

whole

nation.This

will

doesnot

yetexist

today.But

eventhe

constructionof

absolutelynecessary

housingis

ata

standstillthanks

tothe

makeshift

economies

ofour

time.

Now

hereare

thefu

nda

mental

problems

ofbuilding

studiedas

such.

Standardization

ofunits

Farthis

reasonthe

Bauhaus

hasset

itselfthe

taskof

creatinga

centerfor

experimentation

where

itw

illtry

toassem

blethe

achievements

ofeconom

ic,technical

andform

alresearch

andto

applythem

toproblem

sof

domestic

archi

tecturein

aneffort

tocom

binethe

greatestpos

siblestandardization

with

thegreatest

possiblevariation

ofform

.Therefore

thebuildings

which

areto

bethought

ofas

outgrowths

ofm

oderntechnique

anddesign

may

beconceived

asan

assembly

ofprefabricated

andstandardized

partsso

appliedas

tofulfill

thevarying

requirem

entsof

thoseto

behoused.

Theartist

andthe

technicianm

ustco

llabo

ratein

carryingout

thistask.

Any

industriallyproduced

objectis

theresult

ofcountless

experim

ents,of

long,system

aticresdarch,

inw

hichbusiness

men,

techniciansand

artistspartici

pateto

determine

astandard

type.To

aneven

greaterdegree,

thestandardization

ofbuilding

unitsfor

industrialproduction

will

requirethe

generouscooperation

ofall

concerned,in

busi

ness,in

engineering,in

art.Such

cooperationw

ouldbe

areal

demonstration

offarsighted

ness.It

would,

inthe

end,prove

more

economi

calthan

theuse

ofsubstitutes.

TheB

auhaushas

takenthe

firststeps

toward

suchcollaboration

with

thebuilding

ofan

experim

entalhouse

atits

1923exhibition,

which

was

anactual

demonstration

ofnew

conceptionsof

housingas

well

asof

newtechnical

methods.

Everyarchitect

must

understandthe

significance

ofthe

cityin

orderto

beable

toengage

activelyin

cityplanning;

hem

ustrecognize

“simplicity

inm

ultiplicity”as

aguiding

prin

ciplein

theshaping

ofits

character.Form

elem

entsaf

typicalshape

shouldbe

repeatedin

series.A

llthe

buildingparts

shouldbe

functional

limbs

ofthe

comprehensive

organismw

hichdepends

simultaneously

onbuilding,

streetand

means

oftransportation.

Theinvestigation

ofthese

problems

constitutes

thefinal

stageof

thecourse

inbuilding.

Astudent

who

hasachieved

technicalperfection

andabsorbed

allthat

theB

auhauscan

teachhim

canbe

certifieda

master.

Thegoal

ofthe

Bauhaus

curriculum

Thusthe

culminating

pointof

theB

auhausteaching

isa

demand

fora

newand

powerful

working

correlationof

allthe

processesof

creation.

Thegifted

studentm

ustregain

afeeling

forthe

interwoven

strandsof

practicaland

for

mal

work.

The

joyof

building,in

thebroadest

meaning

ofthat

word,

must

replacethe

paperw

orkof

design.A

rchitectureunites

ina

collective

taskall

creativew

orkers,from

thesim

pleartisan

tothe

supreme

artist.For

thisreason,

thebasis

ofcollective

edu

catian

must

besufficiently

broadto

permit

thedevelopm

entof

everykind

oftalent.

Sincea

uni

versallyapplicable

method

forthe

discoveryof

talentdoes

notexist,

theindividual

inthe

courseof

hisdevelopm

entm

ust findfor

himselfthe

fieldof

activitybest

suitedto

himw

ithinthe

circleof

thecom

munity.

The

majority

become

interestedin

production;the

fewextraordinarily

giftedones

will

sufferno

limits

totheir

activity.A

fter

I

theyhave

completed

thecourse

ofpractical

andform

alinstruction,

theyundertake

ind

ependent

researchand

experiment.

Modern

painting,breaking

throughold

con

ventions,has

releasedcountless

suggestionsw

hichare

stillw

aitingto

beused

bythe

practi

calw

orld.B

utw

hen,in

thefuture,

artistsw

hosense

newcreative

valueshave

hadpractical

trainingin

theindustrial

world,

theyw

illth

emselves

possessthe

means

forrealizing

thosev

alues

imm

ediately.They

will

compel

industryto

servetheir

ideaand

industryw

illseek

outand

utilizetheir

comprehensive

training.

TheS

tage

Theatrical

performance,

which

hasa

kindof

orchestralunity,

isclosely

relatedto

architec

ture.A

sin

architecturethe

characterof

each

unitis

merged

intothe

higherlife

ofthe

whole,

soin

thetheater

am

ultitudeof

artisticpro

b

lems

forma

higherunity

with

alaw

ofits

own.

Inits

originsa

theatergrew

froma

meta

physicallonging;

consequentlyit

isthe

realization

ofan

abstractidea.

Thepow

erof

itseffect

onthe

spectatorand

listenerthus

dependson

thesuccessful

translationof

theidea

intoo

pti

callyand

audiblyperceptible

forms.

Thisthe

Bauhaus

attempts

todo.

Itsprogram

consistsin

anew

andclear

formulation

ofall

problems

peculiarto

thestage.

The

specialproblem

sof

space,of

thebody,

ofm

ovement,

ofform

,light,

colorand

soundare

investigated;training

isgiven

inbody

movem

ents,in

the

modulation

ofm

usicaland

spokensounds;

the

stagespace

andfigures

aregiven

form.

TheB

auhaustheater

seeksto

recoverprim

ordial

joyfor

allthe

senses,instead

ofm

erees

theticpleasure.

Conclusion:

theB

auhausin

education

An

organizationbased

onnew

principleseasily

becomes

isolatedif

itdoes

notconstantly

maintain

athorough

understandingof

allthe

The

laterB

auhausseal,

de

signedby

Oskar

Schiemm

er,1922

questionsagitating

therest

ofthe

world.

Inspite

ofall

thepractical

difficulties,the

basisof

thegrow

ingw

orkof

theB

auhauscan

neverbe

toobroad.

Itsresponsibility

isto

educatem

enand

wom

ento

understandthe

world

inw

hichthey

liveond

toinvent

andcreate

forms

symbolizing

thatw

orld.For

thisreason

theed

uca

tionalfield

must

beenlarged

onall

sidesand

extendedinto

neighboringfields,

sothat

theef

fectsof

newexperim

entsm

aybe

studied.The

educationof

childrenw

henthey

areyoung

andstill

unspoiledis

ofgreat

importance.

Thenew

typesof

schoolsem

phasizingpractical

exercises,such

asthe

Montessori

schools,p

rovide

anexcellent

preparationfor

theconstruc

tiveprogram

ofthe

Bauhaus

sincethey

developthe

entirehum

anorganism

.The

oldconserva

tiveschools

were

aptto

destroythe

harmony

within

theindividual

byall

butexclusive

head-w

ork.The

Bauhaus

keepsin

touchw

ithnew

experim

entsin

education.D

uringthe

firstfour

yearsof

constructivew

ork,m

anyideas

andproblem

shave

evolvedfrom

theoriginal

ideaof

theB

auhaus.T

heyhave

beentested

inthe

faceof

fierceopposi

tion.T

heirfruitfulness

andsalutary

effecton

allphases

ofm

odernlife

havebeen

demonstrated.