August 01, 2005
Trip to Germany: Part 2 - Bauhaus
On my second day in Berlin, I had another few hours on my own. My friends we not due to arrive until after midday, so I decided to spend the morning at the Bauhaus Archiv. This small museum is dedicated to the German artistic movement, and art school, of the 1920s and early 1930s. Bauhaus artists included Kandinsky and Paul Klee. The movement's goal was to unify art and technology and to merge the artist's studio with the craftsman's workshop. It encompassed furniture and interior design, paintings and posters, and architecture
The museum was small but very well laid out, just like its website. It was divided into five sections: a section on Bauhaus history, a section on artistic and color theory, models of Bauhaus buildings and interior design, exhibits of Bauhaus furniture and appliances, and a shop selling items, such as cutlery, clocks, and briefcases, whose design has been inspired by Bauhaus. I really enjoyed the section on color theory and the section with the models. These were interactive and the exhibits had instructions beside them to help you get the most out of them. For example, there was an exhibit explaining the effect of color and lighting on the perceived dimensions of a room. Other exhibits explained how blocks of color affect the perception of nearby colors and the effects of after images. All of these were wonderfully clear and concise. The models of Bauhaus architecture and interior design were very interesting too. From them you could see how practical the designs were. I could easily imagine myself living in one of these places.
The Bauhaus Archiv made an impression on me. The goals and style of Bauhaus appeal to me. I expect I will be investing both time and money this year to learn more about the Bauhaus movement.
Posted by JohnC at 04:41 PM | Comments (1)