The Bauhaus.

The central idea

The Bauhaus was a German school of art, craft and design founded by Walter Gropius in 1919. It brought different disciplines together and explored how design could meet the needs of modern life.

Form, function and production

Students learned through making and experimentation. The school increasingly explored how simple forms and new production methods could help create useful objects for a wider public. Geometric shapes, reduced decoration and a clear relationship between form and function became associated with its work.

Marcel Breuer experimented with tubular steel furniture. The material enabled visually light structures and suggested new ways to manufacture furniture. Marianne Brandt designed metalwork, including lamps and household objects, with careful attention to geometry and use.

Recognising the approach

• Simple geometric shapes and purposeful composition.
• Experimentation with modern materials and manufacturing.
• A link between art, craft and industry.
• Design decisions justified by use, construction and production.

Exam connection

Avoid treating “form follows function” as a complete explanation. Name a feature, explain what it does and link it to the designer’s aim. For a tubular steel chair, for example, discuss how the structure changes the chair’s weight, appearance or production.

Remember: Bauhaus work varied across its history. Support broad claims with a named designer and object.