Exhibition - Bauhaus: Art As Life, Barbican, London

This was the first time I'd visited the venue, and it wasn't long before I became conscious of how the modernist ethos of the Bauhaus movement, even though from a slightly earlier time seemed well matched to the 1960s brutalist architecture of the Barbican building.  The Art as Life exhibition was displayed on two floors, the entrance corridor to the gallery being on the lower floor, which was flanked by dark walls giving a closed in feeling. This led up the staircase to the first part on the upper floor. The upper floor was set out on a mezzanine type circulation area - a balcony overlooking the ground floor exhibition area, backed by objects on display arranged in several alcoves behind. The low ceilings gave off a cosy atmosphere, while the lighting (I think) was directional, as everything appeared well lit, while the surrounding area was dark, echoing the walls, bringing the exhibits more into focus. Downstairs the high lofty ceilings were divided up again by several alcoved areas.

A huge black and white photo of a group of tutors and students took over a wall situated between the upper and lower levels and which was visible  to both. One needed to look down to view it from the upper level and to look up when on the lower floor. I think this photo really encapsulated the community ethos of the movement - something which was illustrated in many of the photographic works downstairs showing social gatherings, parties and theatrical performances. 
There was so much to see in this exhibition, such a comprehensive overview (over 400 works) including painting, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, printmaking, furniture, theatre, architecture, film, photography, graphics and product design ie. metalware. I felt quite overwhelmed at first as almost everything on display had its own fascination and I felt I just could not miss the opportunity to check everything out. Fortunately a small grain of sense prevailed and I made notes about only those I considered to be most noteworthy, however, combined with viewing the works, this was sufficient to take up at least two hours..

The exhibition began from its foundation in 1919 in Weimar, Germany by architect Walter Gropius.  After World War 1 Germany was in turmoil. His vision was to teach freedom and craftsmanship to students there and return to the socialist ideals of the  art and crafts movement. Downstairs the exhibition then went on to map out its progress after moving from there to Dessau in 1925, then onto Berlin where in 1933,  due to pressure from the Nazis who considered it subversive, eventual closure.

Though it was very much a modernist movement, Johannes Itten, who ran its preliminary courses encouraged individual personal expression.  He was replaced in 1923 by a new teacher Laszlo Moholy-Nagy with opposing views, who, combined with pressures from its main funders, the Thuringian state government,  brought about a change in direction  to one more geared towards mass production.

The frontispiece of the Bauhaus manifesto is a  Lyonel Feininger woodcut.  The idea of the cathedral represented an aesthetic ideal and social harmony of William Morris's arts and craft movement. 

One of the first exhibits was an oil painting by Lyonel Feininger also  - The Studio Window 1919. As can be seen he was greatly influenced by Cubism and Expressionism  It was described as 'an architectonic manifestation of the artist's workplace with illuminated window embodying Gropius's vision for the school', much of which was about putting into action the radical ideas of his generation (see also  above). The notes I took at the exhibition about this particular painting is the only snippet of information I've been able to find about this painting so far.

http://www.artesmagazine.com/2012/05/harvard-universitys-a-m-sackler-museum-features-rarely-seen-collection-of-lyonel-feininger-photographs-drawings/dscn6709-2/ - The Studio Window 1919

Moving on to 1923 and a major exhibition in Dessau, showcasing new directions of the school toward industrial design:

Three posters shown here, one designed by Paul Klee and the other two by Oskar Schlemmer and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy  represent two opposing ideals within the school. Paul Klee's leaned towards expressionism and is hand drawn and no attempt is made to be precisely geometric. The rather tottery looking tower leading up to a door or entrance is believed to represent the high ideals of the institution.

http://www.ideastap.com/IdeasMag/all-articles/Bauhaus%20Barbican%20Catherine%20Ince -Die Bauhausmeister auf dem Dach des Bauhauses in Dessau /Masters on the roof of the Bauhaus building, c.1926/1998, courtesy Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin/Centre Pompidou, Paris. Paul Klee, Postcard for the 1923 exhibition, c.1923, courtesy Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau.

 In contrast Oskar Schlemmer and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy's posters reflect their constructivist ideals using intricately measured geometric shapes and on Oskar Schlemmer's, suggestions of men as machines. There is something de-humanizing I think about these which hint at men as automatons. 

 http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A5219&page_number=15&template_id=1&sort_order=1 -Postcard for the 1923 Bauhaus exhibition.

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/57114/8359485/in/album/19388 - Laszlo Moholy-Nagy postcard for the 1923 exhibition

The puppets were definitely also one of the highlights. These are yet another good example of members widely opposing views. For instance Oskar Schlemmar had ideas of super-human perfection resonating through his puppets and costumes designed for performances like the Triadic Ballet, while Paul Klee saw his as organic creations and seeing imperfections as a positive features accentuating their characters and identities. It's no surprise to find that he was very interested in children's art. Lyonel Feininger also made puppets and toys along similar lines. 

 A large amount of photography was displayed downstairs. I didn't expect it to appeal to me, but on closer inspection I found many of them to be some of the most fascinating aspects. Many were taken from unusual angles - which put a different slant on things for me, and others were put together as photo montages or photo collages. Particularly compelling, I thought, was being able to see clearly the joins where the cut and pasted parts of different photographs were stuck on over one another, giving them in actuality, a rich physical texture not visible on a computer screen
An article on  about a book on Paul Klee's puppets showing some fascinating images of them:
http://eachlittleworld.typepad.com/each_little_world/2008/10/lloween-is-an--occasion-devoted-to-creatures-both-silly-and-scary-you-can-see-some-of-each-in--a-new-book-that-showcases.html

There are such a multitude of fascinating elements about Bauhaus, all deserving of attention, but alas, I could only hope to scratch the surface here.

Some further reading, especially about the Triadic Ballet:
http://theatreoffashion.co.uk/2012/05/14/exhibitionism-bauhaus-art-as-life-at-the-barbican/