Focussing on specific
examples, describe the way that Modernist art & design was a response to
the forces of modernity?
As a capitalist economy grew
throughout 1880’s Europe it brought with it a new way of life for many people.
Urbanization as well as the industrial revolution were to play a powerful part
in a new modern society. This modernity saw a rapid population growth forming
densely populated towns and cities. There were also scientific break throughs,
as well as technological feats and ever increasing industrial production and
consumption. New materials were formed such as carbon fiber. Modernist
designers utilized these new materials around them such a glass and steal. The
ideas of modernism were merely a set of aesthetic movements conforming and
adapting to the ever-changing world in order for it to keep up. Rules concerning design were formed,
modernist design was a far cry from the embellished and decorative expressive
styles that came before it, instead lending its self to mass production. In
simple terms it focused on the design and production of every day objects for
everyday people. Mies Van Der Rohe an influential architect who studied at the
Bauhaus said ‘less is more’. This short quote truly embodies the idea of
modernist art and design as a response to modernity. As modernity developed the need for mass production of functional
and practical design grew.
The
invention of mechanized rail transport and automobiles also fuelled the growth
of modernist design. As it became increasingly easy to travel from city to city
and even travel across countries it became ever more important that design rid
itself of all cultural and historical references. One of the most celebrated
and famous art schools of modern times believed in these very rules. The Bauhaus school was founded by Walter
Gropius in Weimar in 1919. With fierce determination the
school tried to remove all traces of decadent and Bolshevistic art from Germany (fig.1), in order to
respond to the effects of modernity around it. The style of (fig.1) is very
much reminiscent of pre modernism design in Germany. The use of Blackletter
typography in this image connotes an over powering patriotism and imagery of
Germany. Not only does it connote right wing conservatism and patriotism, it
also stereotypes the art and design of Germany in that period. It is very
illustrative, when taken out of context its purpose isn’t clear and the design
is more focused on imagery than the actual purpose of the poster. This design aesthetic
was exactly what the Bauhaus ‘Masters’ and ‘Apprentices’ were trying to dispel.
In place they strived for a clean aesthetic that could be recognized globally, and
so the Bauhaus
aesthetic, alternatively known as the International Style, was marked by the
absence of ornamentation and by harmony between the function of an object or a
building and its design.
The forces of modernity within the
economy where directly linked to the changing style of graphic design and
typography developed at the Bauhaus. As the German economy began its regrowth
following the depression from the war, it struggled to maintain its economic competitiveness
with England. ‘The innovations made in graphic design at the Bauhaus are among
the most radical contributions to 20th-century design. In the
interest of economy, it abolished the use of uppercase letters, despite the
fact that the German language demands them not only for the beginning of sentences
but also for every noun. It developed san-serifs typefaces for international
use at a time when Gothic typefaces were still widely used in the
German-speaking world.’ (Rowland, A, P124) Being able to harness the new
potentials of mass production through the changes of modernity and
technological advances, Bauhaus graphic design shed its gothic, Germanic roots
instead opting for internationally recognized san serif typefaces. This
important technique shows the impact modernity had on communication. With links
between different nationalities being formed the use of an internationally
recognized style of alphabet and words was paramount to improving
communication. ‘It used graphic elements such as rules and points, in an
autonomous way, intended to enhance communication and its sophisticated
approach to advertising and exhibition design broke new ground’(Rowland, A,
1990) The self sufficient way of using rules and point shows how the attitudes
of tools that the modernists had already been using changed. It shows the
freedom to explore and create that they practiced. As the pupils of the Bauhaus
where taught many disciplines, each discipline began to echo each other. (fig 2)
is a poster by Joost Schmidt for the Bauhaus exhibition of 1923, as you can see
the image is very structural. Inspiration for much of the work was found from
the forces of modernity. The strong circular and intersecting geometric shapes
give mechanical connotations. Responding to the new technological developments
the artwork became increasingly conformed and structural mimicking the world
around it. A key sense of rhythm and balance can me seen in (fig 2). The
simplistic shapes and basic forms are also a lot easy to reproduce than
intricate delicate designs. (fig 2) also shows the use of a san serif western
style typeface aiding the communication and catering to the masses.
Modernist design became a global
language, the designers’ job was to rid self-expression with in their work and
let the products speak for their selves. ‘The first feature is aesthetic self reflexiveness’
(Boyne and Rattansi 1990: 6). Self reflexiveness here means to consider, or
think about, one’s own practice by using that practice. (and is also the
defining characteristic of modernism in art, according to Greenberg 1993: 85-7)
Aesthetic reflectiveness, then is the way in which artists and designers began
to thematise, to think about, the practice of art and design by using shape,
line colour and form, for example. It is a painting that takes painting as a
subject. Or a piece of design that says something about its self as a piece of
design.’ (Barnard, M, 2005 P112-113) Based on this rule of modernism a
universal language of design was formed. Modernism taught that design should
speak for itself and should be the most logical and feasible design based on
its purpose.
‘The ethics of Modernism, or should I
say the ideology of modernism, was an ideology of the fight, the ongoing battle
to combat the wrongs developed by industrialization during the last century.
Modernism was a commitment against greed, commercialization, exploitation,
vulgarization, and cheapness. Modernism was and still is the search for the
truth, the search for integrity, the search for cultural stimulation and
enrichment of the mind. Modernism was never a style, but an attitude.’ As well as trying to conform to and utilize
the inventions and discoveries happening around it, modernism also endeavored
to put a leash on the wrong doings with in design and challenged the views of
conservatism.
Modernity strived towards a utopian
world, and the goal of social perfection. Modernism, in turn was heavily
influenced by this. ‘From the beginning modernism had an urgency of utopianism:
to make the world better by design.’ These teachings were echoed throughout the
Bauhaus. In many senses Modernism was an attitude and expression of the modern
times. After Germany’s defeat in World War 1, the fall of the German monarchy
and the abolition of censorship under the new liberal Weimar republic, there
was radical experimentation in a wide field of art and design, which had
previously been suppressed by the old regime. Many people may have seen the
Bauhaus as a further expression of these left-wing views, an exploration of
freedom and a new modern way of living. The war had a profound effect on
Gropius and radically changed his views. ‘The Gropius of early Bauhaus was not
entirely the same man as the Gropius of pre-war years. He had seen action as a
cavalry officer and terrifying evidence of the destructive power of
mechanization. Previously apolitical, he had come to sympathize with the Left
and to share it’s belief that only radical social reform could cure Germany of
its ills.’ ( Whitford, F. 2003 P31) The Bauhaus was a way of Gropius trying to
create a miniature model of utopianism. Throughout his ideas and teachings he
aimed not only to reform art education but also to reform society its self. He
employed staff of utopian leanings and devised a teaching programme that not
only provided its students with technical skills but also aimed to develop their
personalities.
Although the radical thinking of this
time at The Bauhaus was altered by the new modern Germany and looking to the
future, Gropius was still focused on the teachings craftsmanship as apposed to
mass production. This was because of his bad experiences of Mechanization
during the war. Many of the products of the early years of the Bauhaus were
characterful and at times eccentric; they didn’t connote forces of modernity
around them. ‘However, in 1923 the workshops objectives were radically redefined
by its new Form Master Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. It was Moholy-Nagy’s conviction that
the Bauhaus should think in terms of the collective and set its sights on mass
production. Craft values were replaced by machine values’ (Rowland, A, 1990 P20)
Combining a modern way of thinking, with a modern way of designing was truly
the turning point of The Bauhaus and its affluent nature as one of the leaders
in the Modernism movement. Thanks to Moholy-Nagy the institution began to
utilize the resources around it. Modern and new materials such as Glass, steal
and fabrics produced at the Bauhaus were used in the design, with the key
teaching to be true to the materials and not disguise them, the aesthetic of
Bauhaus modernism as we know it today was born.
The Bauhaus taught it’s teachers and
pupils to utilize the materials around them. In a world of modernity and
invention the cleverest achievements were glaringly obvious solutions. Much was
the case for Breuer who became captivated on the properties of the new material
tubular steal. ‘Legend has it he was cycling around Dessau when he was struck
by the strength and lightness of his bicycle frame and realized the potential
of this industrial material for the creation of lightweight, elegant,
industrially produced furniture’ (Rowland, A, 1990 P62) He stated that this
light weight yet sturdy material lent its self to mass production and if it
could be bent in to handlebars it could be bent in to furniture. In 1925 he
produced one of the most recognizable Bauhaus products, the Wassily chair (fig
3). Breuer was able to bring elegance and sophistication as well as providing
an industrial strength chair that could be easily mass-produced. This prompted
more experiments in one of the key furniture forms of the ‘20s that in turn
provided the world with the cantilevered chair. The cantilevered chair can
still be seen all over the world in classrooms and waiting rooms, this shows
the true power that modernist design holds. Breuer cleverly thought of a way to
make mass production of the chairs even more efficient. The chairs could be
stacked together making them room efficient as well as easier to distribute in
numbers. Its timeless and functional design is still as relevant and
contemporary today as it was at the start of the 20th century. The
design of the chair was completely innovative and not like anything that had
been designed before. It challenged people’s concepts and perspective of
chairs. In a sense the tubular steal chair (fig 3) whole heartily embodies the
style and aesthetic of Bauhaus modernism. It’s stunning design is still as
contemporary and relevant today as it was when it was designed. Breuer has paid
specific attention to the rules of modernism such as ‘truth to materials’ he
makes no attempt to hide the structured and well-formed metallic steal frame
work. He rid the club chair design of what he thought was unnecessary stuffing,
padding and covering; this exposed the beauty of form and structure with in his
design, it also implies with the ‘less is more’ rule. The success of the chair
was its simplicity in design, it still adhered to its function of comfort, but
was designed in a way to rid any excess unneeded confusion, Breuer challenged
peoples understanding of a chair and what it looked like. It is still clearly a
chair (fig 3) but at the time would have challenged and amazed the people
around it, it is free of embellishments and decadence, and because of this the
chair speaks a universal design language. Even though Breuer had taken design
away from the chair it is still recognized as a functioning chair all around
the world. In a way the ethos of Modernism art and design was to demolish
confusion and distraction, and provide the world with simple and better
functioning design. The use of tubular steal is a direct response of modernism
to modernity at the Bauhaus. Artists began to utilize the technology around
them and discovered new and rational ways to design. The new materials
discovered were more sturdy and practical. It made more sense and was more time
and cost efficient to bend a piece of tubular steal in to a chair frame then to
have to carve and construct one from wood.
Architecture was one of the most
recognizable reactions to the forces of modernity. Towering buildings started
to be constructed in order to utilize space in over populated and crowded
cities. The Bauhaus was a major contributor to the up rise of modernism
architecture. The name Bauhaus literally translates to ‘House of building’ however, interestingly
the school didn’t offer any formal architectural instruction until it’s later
years 1927. Never the less with major architects present at the Bauhaus such as
Gropius, Meyer and Mies Van Der Rohe the Bauhaus is inherently linked to the
modernist movement in architecture. With the focus on form and structure in all
areas of design at the Bauhaus Gropius claimed that a pupil had to master the
art of all the disciplines before they could experiment and learn about
architecture. ‘He later justified the omission by maintaining that he always
saw architecture as the culmination of Bauhaus training, for which no student
could be ready until he or she had completed the preliminary course and full
craft training’ (Rowland, A, 1990) Architecture was seen as the zenith of all
the other crafts and arts practiced at the Bauhaus. This becomes apparent when
considering the focus on form and structure through out the Bauhaus creations.
The introduction of geometric shapes and lines as well as the precision and
detail of structure all show that architecture was in the very fiber of all
Bauhaus art and design. The forces of modernity and constant need to adapt with
in art and design meant that having multi talented students, who were trained
in a number of fields not only safe proofed their own future as a designer but
the future of modernist design its self. Modernist design is looking to the
future and answering the problems it may hold.
To conclude, With the closing of the
Bauhaus in 1933 by the new Nazi government modernism in Germany started to die.
Many people had grown skeptical and believed that the insistence of
functionality would remove individuality from humanity. The constant
persistence of global standardization in design became a negative process, and
the strive for a utopian society was seen as impossible. Modernism endeavored
to make the world a better place through design. The art reforms of Gropius at
the time of the Bauhaus show this. Much like modernity, with scientific break
throughs and advancing technologies, the modernist movement powered towards a more
equal and fair society through groundbreaking design. Modernism was perhaps one
of the most defining and significant art movements of all time. With new
technologies and materials modernism helped shaped the way in which we live
today and while it may not be as widely practiced today many of the ideologies
can still be felt. Modernity and modernism are inherently linked, although
sometimes conflicting in view they both strive to make the future world a
better place.
Bibliography:-
Rowland, A.
(1990) Bauhaus source book: Phaidon Press LTD
Barnard, M.
(2005) Graphic Design As Communication: Routledge
Vignelli, M,
(1991) Long Live Modernism AIGA Journal of Graphic Design, vol. 9, no. 2
Whitford, F.
(2003) Bauhaus: Thames and Hudson LTD
Fig 1
Bolshevism without a mask [online] (updated 21/09/12) Available at: http://www.chgs.umn.edu/histories/documentary/bolshevism/index.html
fig 3 MoMA
the collection Marcel Breuer. Club chair (b3). 1927-1928 [Online] Availible at:
http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=2851
