Brief Summary
This video tells the story of the women who studied at the Bauhaus, a famous design school founded in Germany in 1919. Despite the school's promise of gender equality, women were often relegated to the textile workshop and their contributions were overlooked. The video highlights the achievements of several women, including Griselda, Alma Busch, Marianne Brandt, and Lucia Moholy, who made significant contributions to the Bauhaus movement. The video also explores the challenges these women faced, including discrimination, lack of recognition, and the difficulty of balancing work and family life.
- The Bauhaus was founded in 1919 with a promise of gender equality, but women were often relegated to the textile workshop.
- Despite the challenges, women made significant contributions to the Bauhaus movement, including in furniture design, metalwork, photography, and textile design.
- The video highlights the achievements of several women, including Griselda, Alma Busch, Marianne Brandt, and Lucia Moholy.
The Bauhaus: A New Beginning
The Bauhaus, a design school founded in Weimar, Germany in 1919, promised absolute gender equality. This attracted many women to the school, with almost 500 female artists studying there. The school's founder, Walter Gropius, envisioned a new society where everyone could participate in creating something new. This message resonated with young women who were seeking a break from traditional art schools and a chance to contribute to a changing world.
The New Woman of the 1920s
The Bauhaus was founded in Weimar, a city where the structures of the old German Empire were still present. Studying at the Bauhaus was an act of rebellion against traditional paths and a way to embrace a different way of living. The school promised a creative awakening and a new way of life, attracting many young and established female artists. The video highlights the story of Griselda, a young artist who joined the Bauhaus in 1919 after working as a Red Cross nurse during World War I. She was drawn to the school's vision of building a new and better society.
The Bauhaus Way of Life
Life at the Bauhaus was unconventional, with rules like skinny dipping in the river, spiritual breathing exercises, and costume parties. The Bauhaus way of life was a challenge to conservative Weimar society, with couples not needing to get married and parties that were open and expressive. Despite the euphoria of a new beginning, living and working conditions were difficult, with students facing challenges like limited materials, food shortages, and a lack of money.
Fredel Dicker: A Multi-Talented Artist
Fredel Dicker, a pioneering student at the Bauhaus, was a highly gifted and daring designer. She embraced experimentation and mastered a wide variety of disciplines, including graphics, product design, costume design, and painting. Walter Gropius himself praised her work as the very best at the institute. Dicker was an all-round artistic talent, expressing herself through everything she touched.
The Backlash Against Women
The influx of women at the Bauhaus became a problem for the male faculty. Walter Gropius, despite his initial promise of equality, backtracked in 1920, arguing that women were not suitable for heavy craftsmanship. He limited the number of women students to a third of the student body. This decision was based on sexist stereotypes that women lacked the talent and genius required for art, particularly in fine art. Women were relegated to the textile workshop, a craft considered a handicraft rather than an art.
The Textile Workshop: A Revolution in Design
Despite being relegated to the textile workshop, the female artists turned the craft of weaving into their own special art form. They rejected traditional patterns and explored new forms and colours, using hand-dyed yarns and complex weaving techniques. Their fabrics were enormously successful, revolutionizing textile design and proving that weaving was more than just a pastime. The textile workshop became one of the most successful studios at the Bauhaus, generating significant income through sales and exhibitions.
Fredel Dicker: A Pioneer in Architecture
Fredel Dicker refused to be confined to the textile workshop and enjoyed a high level of freedom at the Bauhaus. She even ventured into the men's workshops, becoming the first Bauhaus student to design a house with a flat roof in 1922. Dicker's talent and ambition led her to found an architecture studio in Vienna, where she designed Bauhaus architecture and furniture for a wealthy clientele.
Alma Busch: A Visionary Furniture Designer
Alma Busch, a talented sculptor, was also relegated to the textile workshop. She resisted this decision and wrote a letter to Walter Gropius, requesting to be excused from the workshop. She was eventually allowed to pursue sculpture, designing a children's room for the Bauhaus exhibition in 1923. Her multifunctional furniture was well-received and aligned with Gropius's vision of industrial production. The exhibition was a success, with Busch's furniture attracting significant attention and making her a household name.
Marianne Brandt: A Metalwork Icon
Marianne Brandt, an established painter, was drawn to the Bauhaus after seeing the 1923 exhibition. She was so impressed that she decided to abandon painting and focus on design. She joined the metal workshop, where she faced resistance from her male classmates. Despite their attempts to demoralize her, Brandt persevered with the support of her master teacher, László Moholy-Nagy. She became one of the most successful designers at the Bauhaus, creating iconic designs that were simple, elegant, and in keeping with the Bauhaus principles.
The Bauhaus Moves to Dessau
In 1925, the Bauhaus moved to Dessau, a city with more economic prospects. Walter Gropius built new residential buildings for the master craftsmen and a new school building made of steel and glass, a testament to modernism. The move to Dessau marked a shift towards mass production, which did not appeal to everyone, leading to some students leaving the school.
Griselda: The First Female Bauhaus Master
In Dessau, the Bauhaus entered a new era, with new workshops being created, including the architecture workshop. Women continued to seize opportunities, with Griselda becoming the first female teacher to head the weaving department in 1927. This was a revolution from below, with the female weavers demanding that Griselda be appointed as the head of the department. Griselda was a popular and respected leader, known as the "weaving mama." Her workshop handled large commissions and her work was formative for modern textile design.
Lucia Moholy: The Photographer of the Bauhaus
Lucia Moholy, the wife of László Moholy-Nagy, was not a Bauhaus student but played a crucial role in the school's success. She was a trained photographer and took the photographs that made the Bauhaus world-famous. Despite her significant contributions, Lucia remained in the shadow of her husband, often going uncredited for her work. She shared her knowledge with her husband, took on his darkroom work, and put his ideas into writing for numerous Bauhaus publications. Her photographs, characterized by precise objectivity, defined the image of the Bauhaus that is still valid today.
Marianne Brandt: A Photographer and Visionary
Marianne Brandt, in addition to her metalwork, also devoted herself to photography. She created profound photo montages that reflected her unique view of the world, often exploring themes of the new woman and the changing society of the 1920s. Her work also hinted at a premonition of the war that was to come.
The Challenges of Work and Family
The close collaborative work at the Bauhaus led to complex relationships and conflicts, particularly for the women. Alma Busch, who had achieved success with her furniture designs, married a Bauhaus actor and gave birth to a son. Despite being a new mother, she continued to work but was marginalized at the Bauhaus. The superiors were not supportive of women having children, and Busch was denied her own studio.
Gertrude Arndt: A Photographer and Rebel
Gertrude Arndt, who came to the Bauhaus with dreams of becoming an architect, was also relegated to the textile workshop. After marrying the Bauhaus architect Alfred Arndt, she drew up her own marriage contract demanding complete equality. However, she found few prospects in Dessau and turned her talents to photography. Her avant-garde photographs, including a series of self-portraits in disguise, are considered classics of Bauhaus photography.
The Legacy of the Bauhaus Women
The video concludes by highlighting the legacy of the Bauhaus women. Despite the challenges they faced, their courage, creativity, and progressive thinking left a lasting impact on the world. They are still an inspiration today, a century after the Bauhaus was founded. The video also touches on the tragic fates of some of these women, including Fredel Dicker, who was killed in the Theresienstadt concentration camp, and Alma Busch, who died in a bombing raid.
