Furniture, Bauhaus.

We've talked about the Bauhaus in class before so I figured I would look further into what they were and what they did. The Bauhaus school was founded by Walter Groupier in Weimar. In spite of its name, and the fact that its founder was an architect, the Bauhaus did not have an architecture department during the first years of its existence. Nonetheless it was founded with the idea of creating a 'total' work of art in which all arts, including architecture would eventually be brought together. The Bauhaus style became one of the most influential currents in Modernist Architecture and modern design. One of the most influential designers in the Modernist movement was a student and then teacher at the Bauhaus, Mercel Breuer. Mercel Breure designed the first bent steel chair later named the 'Wassily.' Part of the theory of the chair is the idea that as humans we should not conform to our furniture but, it should conform to us. The chair was fairly simple in form. It was merely straps of fabric stretched across the chair for the back, seat, and arms. The bent steel was hard to come by at the time of its conceptual design in the early 1920s because of how steel tubes had been manufactured up to that point. The chair which was created more than 90 years ago because of its design and modern appeal has been remanufactured by many different producers still this day. I believe this chair has lived on so well because of its timeless and simple design. The lack of fabric makes it easy to flow and fit with almost any decor. The functionality of the chair is what catches me. It is simple to clean, and looks fairly comfortable. You might not sink into the chair like a lazy boy but it also looks a lot better than one also.

For more information on the Bauhaus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus
Wassily Chair: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassily_Chair
Mercel Breur: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Breuer