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THE FUTURE
A paperby
JACK PRITCHARD , O.B.E. , M.A.y
read to the Societyon Wednesday13thNovember
1968, with Mrs. Mary Adams, O.B.E. , M.Sc.y
in theChair
THE PAPER
75
National
Institute
Economic
Review(MissDeboraPage)1961
77
78
THEIMPORTANCE IN CLOSEASSOCIATION
OF ARTANDSCIENCE
This meantin Gropius's mindthebasictheoriesofcolour,formand proportion,
and had nothingto do witha studyof acceptedartforms.He assertedthat'true
creativeworkcan be done onlyby themanwhoseknowledgeand masteryof the
physicallaws of statics,dynamics,optics,acoustics,equip him to give lifeand
shape to his innervision.In a workof art the laws of the physicalworld,the
intellectualworld and the world of the spirit functionand are expressed
simultaneously . .
Gropiusbelievedthattheinfluence of imaginativeartistscombinedwitha very
thoroughtrainingin the craftswould help firstto get rid of preconceived
ideas,
and thento setfreethestudents'ownoriginality.
Whenthe Bauhausstartedin 1919 it was arrangedtherefore thatthefirst
-year
studentsshouldattendcoursesby such important and imaginative modernartists
as Klee, Kandinsky,Feiningerand Oskar Schlemmer,as well as coursesin the
variouscrafts.
ITTENANDTHEBASICCOURSE
JOHANNES
Gropius's ideaswerefirstputintopracticewhenhe appointedJohannes Ittenin
1919 to be in chargeofthebasic course.Ittenhad been a schoolteacher,and had
seen thatif youngchildrenwereleftalone theycould be amazinglycreativeand
inventive. This lessonhe appliedin the Bauhaus.In thisrespecthis methodwas
not unlikethatof A. S. Niell at Summerhill, Curryat Dartington,and Bertrand
and Dora Russellat Beacon Hill School. It is interestingthattheseexperimental
ideasare nowbeingappliedin thestateprimary schoolsin England.
In hisbookon the basic course,Ittenwrites : 'As an introduction,
longlistsf
differentmaterials, likewood,glass,textiles,barks,furs,metalsand stones,were
written down.'Then, he wenton: T had thestudentsadd theopticaland tactile
qualitiesof thesematerials.But it was not enoughto knowthe wordsforthese
qualities,the charactersof the materialshad to be experiencedand represented.
80
TAKEOVERFROMITTEN
ANDMOHOLY-NAGY
ALBERS
SIEGFRIED
GIDEONREPORTS
FROMWEIMAR
In August 1923, an exhibitionof students* workwas held at Weimar.This
exhibitioncauseda greatstirbothin favourand thereverse.Fortunately Siegfried
Gideon,the Swiss architectural historian,was presentduringthe exhibitionand
in an articlein the Swiss journal Das Werkhe wrote: 'The State School of
Buildingin Weimaras it was calledhad onlybeen runningunderWalterGropius
forthree-and-a-halfyears.Germanyhad suffered a terribledefeat,her currency
was runningawayand foodwas scarce,and yetherewas something of greatand
' He continued:'The school . . . makes an
lastingimportance. appeal to the
contemporary world, to the
accept justification of its existenceon the basis of its
aimsand itsaccomplishment. It is in anycase entitledto respectforitsunswerving
pursuitof its objectives,in spite of the presentsituationin Germany,which
makeshertheslaveof immediatenecessity;in spiteof paucityof funds;in spite
of cheapridicule,in spiteof maliciousattacksfromreactionaries and,notleast,in
spiteof difficulties.'
internal
BythistimetheSocialDemocraticgovernment thathadshownsuchpromiseand
had supportedtheBauhausat Weimarwas givingwayto thereactionary pressure
of the People's Party,the forerunnerof the Nazis. This situationwas described
in a noteto Gropiusat the end of March 1924 by the businessmanagerof the
Bauhausas follows:4 . . . sinceOctober1922 I havedone mybestto further the
development of the Bauhaus. Co-operationwhichshouldhave been a matterof
courseon thepartof thegovernment officials
. . . has notbeen forthcoming, the
attitudeof superiorgovernment officials
is malevolent, obtuseand so inflexible
as constantlyto endangerthegrowthof theinstitution. . . .'
In December1924 Gropiusand his staffwroteto the new government that
becauseof theobstructions theywouldclose the Bauhaus.The studentswrotea
similarletterin January of thenextyear.So endedthefirstphase.Fortunately at
that time the SocialistMayor of the cityof Dessau, Dr. Fritz Hesse, offered
generousfacilities,includingthe financeforthe finenew buildingwhichwe all
nowrecognizeas therealBauhaus.The buildings, to Gropius's design,includeda
wingforstudentsand housesforstaff.The buildingswerereadyfor
residential
occupationby theend of 1926.
The basic ideas wereof coursethe same,but whilethe constructivist side was
strengthened Gropiusdid not dispensewiththe imaginative inspirationof the
82
OskarSchlemmer
. . . particularly
withhistriadic
, musthave had a tremendous
ballet impac
83
84
was appointedin his place and triedto save theBauhaus,and did so, untilit was
closedbytheNazis in 1933.
TAKESNOTICE
ENGLAND
LEAVES
GROPIUS BUTENGLAND
GERMANY, NOTYETREADY
VillageCollege
Impington andFry, 1937
, byGropius
PROPOSALS
FORFUTURE
ACTION
88
94