Bauhaus and Furniture Design

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the furniture designs of one of the Bauhaus' most famous designers, Marcel Breuer (in the context of the Bauhaus and the modern movement). The paper argues that Breuer's furniture designs reflect the overall Bauhaus interest in the application of industrial mass production to the creation of domestic spaces defined by quality design. The writer explains that although the Bauhaus was to only exist for a few short years before its closing by Germany's Nazi government in 1933, its ethos can be seen to be reflected in much of Breuer's innovations in furniture design. The writer also notes that Marcel Breuer's furniture design would prove so enduring and popular that it came to be characteristic of the modern movement. The writer concludes that in situating Breuer within the context of the Bauhaus, we can see how his modernist vision evolved from an emphasis upon aesthetic principles to a focus upon the primacy of industrial design that may be inexpensively reproduced through mass production techniques. An annotated bibliography is appended.

Outline:
Introduction
The Bauhaus Vision
Marcel Breuer and Modern Furniture Design
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The Bauhaus School that came into being in Germany in the wake of the First World War represented arguably the single most influential school in the history of modern design. Headed by figures such as Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe, and defined by a socially egalitarian ethos that envisioned industrial production as the key to presenting quality designed products for the general public, the Bauhaus was to play a critical role in the shaping of how the twentieth century perceived modern design."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Anker, Peter. "The Bauhaus of Nature." Modernism/Modernity.12.2 (2005), 229-251.
• Cramer, Ned. "The Bauhaus Effect." Interior Design.75.3 (2004), 170-174.
• Dearstyne, Howard. Inside the Bauhaus. New York: Rizzoli, 1986.
• Gropius, Walter. The New Architecture and the Bauhaus. Cambridge:MIT Press, 1965.
• Hochman, Elaine. Bauhaus: Crucible of Modernism. New York: Fromm,1997.

More papers on Bauhaus and Furniture Design:

• Analytical Essay # 131219 : "The Influence of the Bauhaus"
• Research Paper # 92517 : "Fashion and Architectural Design"
• Research Paper # 92577 : "The Coffee Table: 1950-1969"

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