Exhibition
Kandinsky at the Bauhaus, 1922–1933
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10128-0173
In 1922 Vasily Kandinsky (b. 1866, Moscow; d. 1944, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) accepted a teaching position at the Bauhaus, the state-sponsored Weimar school of art and applied design founded in 1919 by architect Walter Gropius. The school’s curriculum was based on the principle that the crafts were equal to the traditional arts and was organized according to a medieval-style guild system of training under the tutelage of masters. Kandinsky conducted the Wall Painting Workshop and Preliminary Course and taught at all three of the school’s sequential locations in Weimar, Dessau, and Berlin until 1933, when the Bauhaus was closed due to pressure from the National Socialist (Nazi) government.
Geometric shapes came to play a dominant role in Kandinsky’s pictorial vocabulary at the Bauhaus; the artist, who was interested in uncovering a universal aesthetic language, increased his use of overlapping, flat planes and clearly delineated forms. This change was due, in part, to his familiarity with the Suprematist work of Kazimir Malevich and the art of the Constructivists. Kandinsky’s turn toward geometric forms was also likely a testament to the influence of industry and developments in technology.
More info: guggenheim.org
Articles
-
Final Weekend: Bauhaus at MoMA
This weekend marks the final days of the Museum of Modern Art's homage to the Bauhaus, the early-20th-century German school and movement that fostered and supported early modernism leaders like…
-
Chicago Bauhaus and Beyond
Of all American cities, you'd think Chicago would be at the forefront of celebrating and preserving its architecture. And while in many ways it does—the Chicago Architecture Foundation hosts…
-
Walter Gropius, Hagerty House
Walter Gropius wanted the Hagerty House, his first commission in the United States, to be as close to the sea as possible. He sited the structure a precarious 20 feet from the shore and let the…
Submit Your Event
Help be the eyes and ears of Dwell. Let us know about upcoming events in your modern world.
Be the first to comment.
RSS Feed
Add a Comment