bauhaus : by Taschen // part 3

DESSAU BAUHAUS: Institute of Design

"In the words of a contemporary visitor: 'I arrive in Dessau at dawn. Fog hangs over the city. Our headlights occasionally penetrate the damp air. But the eye is drawn to a dazzling beam of light. A giant light cube: the new Bauhaus building. Later, with sunshine and blue sky, the building remains a focal point of lightness and brightness." (pg. 122)

"At about the same time as the opening of the new school building, Gropius decided the Bauhaus should be given the subtitle 'Hochschule für Gestaltung' - Institute of Design." (pg. 134)

"Josef Albers entered the room with a bundle of newspapers under one arm, which he gave out to the students. He then turned to us with roughly the following words: 'Ladies and gentlemen, we are poor, not rich. We cannot afford to waste time or materials. We must make the best out of the worst... For the present we shall focus on skill, not beauty... Bear in mind that you often achieve more by doing less." (pg. 142)

"The Bauhaus will never calm down; if it does, it's finished. Everyone involved with it must make their own contribution, even if they don't want to." -Klee (pg.144-145)

"Under the direction of Marcel Breuer the joinery workshop achieved two outstanding successes in Dessau: firstly its furnishing of the new Bauhaus building and Masters' houses and secondly its further development of tubular steel furniture. The now classic interiors of the Masters' houses inhabited by Gropius, Moholy, Muche and Kadinsky are highlights in the history of 'New Living'." (pg. 153)

"Muche's aim was a redefinition of the role of the fine artist since - as a painter- he too, was Master of Form of a workshop. His verdict on the artist's role: 'The artistic form element is a foreign body in the industrial product. Technical requirements make art a useless extra.'" (pg. 161)

"Gropius' sudden announcement cause bewilderment among both students and Masters. A Bauhaus without Gropius seemed unthinkable. In explaining his decision, Gropius reasoned that the Bauhaus was now securely established and that he wanted to devote more time to building." (pg. 163)