#31, Impression of lecture Dr. Juri Czabanowski 'Bauhaus in Context'

Dr. MA Juri Czabanowski, Historian of Art & Architecture & (Unesco)Culture, gave his lecture about 'History of Bauhaus in Context' in the splendid concerthall of villa Wylerberg in expressionistic style (ill. 1 above: path to villa), designed by Bauhaus-director and architect Otto Bartning (model 1920, finished 1924). Czabanowski gave his 3rd lecture in the concerthall with excellent acoustic of this marvelous surrounding, an icon of expressionistic architecture. His former lectures were about 'Bauhaus and De Stijl, Modernism Movements at 'Open Monumentendag' on Saturday 14th of Sept. 2019 (first) and the 2nd on Sunday 17th of Nov. 2019.

Introduction & Lecture of Villa Wyler

An interesting introduction was given by director of Nederlandse Cultuurland-schappen Mr. drs. Jaap Dirkmaat. He also appointed the presence of an interesting exhibition of the history of the family Schuster and the architect Otto Bartning in the concerthall of villa Wyler in expressionistic style (see ill.2 above).

Czabanowski's lecture contained 100 slides divided in 4 sections: the pre-time before, the proto-Bauhaus Weimar : 19th Century of Industrial Revolution, nation-building, Belle Epoque, fin du siecle- art nouveau and 'modernity' [Beaudelaire 1856] [1] and Ur-Bauhaus, a definition of the lecturer [Czabanowski 2018] [2], the shoe-manufacture factory Fagus [3], mentioned by sir Nikolaus Pevsner in his book Pioneers of Modern Design, the Fagus Werke 1911-'14 [Pevsner 1948 [4]. In short: "The factory Fagus (Werke) is the Ur-Bauhaus"!

The Bauhaus Weimar period (1919-'33, in conservative touched and minded Thüringen); founders were the architects Walter Gropius and Otto Bartning. The last shaped villa (Marie) Schuster, later villa Wylerberg, an extraordinary building in a wonderful environmental setting, the Duivelsberg in Beek-Ubbergen (former it was on German territory). 'Emancipation' and its limits were new at this experimental phase of educational reform at Bauhaus Weimar and later Dessau. And its reform by education by doing it yourself and to work interdisciplinary on many study-fields).

After the intermezzo The Bauhaus Dessau period (1926-1933) started by the new building in modernistic style designed by Walter Gropius followed (ill. 4: 'Probebühne für eine neue Welt'; text upside down! ill. 3: mechanic opening system of windows). Bauhaus Dessau was situated in a more social classed tolerant and industrial environment of new-coming Dessau and new coming upperclass of industrials (Bundesland Sachsen-Anhalt).

Finally the Exodus of the Bauhaus-Meister and their ideas all over the world was presented by slides during the lecture; the whole was illustrated in the worldwide context, the Zeitgeist in which the Bauhaus developed. Like the dutch movement De Stijl and their architects like J.J.P. Oud and Gerrit Rietveld and their theories by its founder Van Doesburg and painter Piet Mondriaan: a global Zeitgeist of reformation and Modernism.

Finally the period of the growing power of fascistic NSDAP and its consequences: the closing doors of both Bauhaus educations, Weimar and Dessau, as 'experimental platform for a new word' (ill. 4: text exhibition in Museum Bauhaus Dessau 2018) and finally in 1933 the final curtain felt: the Bauhaus Berlin with director architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

Their departure forced by nazi's and the intolerance made the Bauhaus a global movement and the Bauhausmeister (masters of the Bauhaus) even more famous. The Bauhaus-ideas, its architecture and (industrial) design in combination with handcrafts became worldwide followers and fellowers [Czabanowski 2011].

In spite of bad weather, a little hurricane (Storm 'Dennis'), on Sunday 16th of February 2022 still some very interested listeners came to get inspired by the revolutionary ideas and praxis of the Bauhaus and its influence till today on field of industrial design, vintage and remakes (ill. 5: slide of statue of Von Goethe and Schiller in Weimar as intro for Bauhaus Weimar 1919). A lucky surprise was the presence of writer of a book 'Het vergeten monument' about the villa Wylerberg, Mr. Herman Grote and his lovely wife Mrs. Aranka Grote (ill. 6 beneath: both standing before lecture-slide of architect Dudok's masterpiece The Townhall of Hilversum).

Next to historian dr. Leo Ewals and former politician and sociologist drs. Jacques Pauwels and his charming wive Mrs. Jos Pauwels (above), all these listeners live in Malden (community Heumen), were present too, next to many people of the beautiful town of Beek-Ubbergen (ill. 7; here beneath).

Dr. Czabanowski will (is intended to) give more Bauhaus-lectures, intensive Bauhaus-winterseminars in March and begin April 2022. Middle of April he will start 5-days Bauhaus-travels along Unesco-monuments of Bauhaus in co-op with local guides and special guest houses (surprise) : an unforgettable experience to learn more about this reform(a-ct-ion) movement and to exchange ideas with local people and their local products and interact ideas. All will be supervised by Mr. Czabanowski and done by car-sharing; minimal 8 persons (max. 24 persons) have the opportunity to enjoy the Bauhaus-journey.

Be(come) part of a common Odyssey to connect Past-Present-Future of Modernism. Let's go and become wiser with open minds.

Contact: +31 (0)24-3882679 for info or e-mail [email protected]

endnotes

[1] Charles Beaudelaire, Le Peintre de la vie moderne, Paris 1856.

[2] Historian of Architecture dr. Czabanowski compares the shoe-manufactory Fagus Werke in Alfeld an der Leine (near Hannover) with a shoe-box designed by young architects, teammates Adolf Meyer and Walter Gropius as functional rectangular symbol. Czabanowski introduced the term 'Ur-Bauhaus' for this modernistic factory avant-la-lettre, started 1911 - finished in 1914, 15 years before the start of Bauhaus DESSAU.

[3] Lat. 'fagus' ; means beech(tree); the wood for the shoe came and come from the surrounding environment of the forest Harz, Unesco World-heritage of Nature for Mankind.

[4] [Pevsner 1948]; Nikolaus Pevsner, Pioneers of Modern Design, London 1948.