Modernist Masters and the Bauhaus
The Bauhaus school and the careers of Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Wright defined the canonical achievements and theories of modern architecture.
Definition
The study of the principal architects and schools that shaped twentieth-century modern architecture and its theory.
Scope
This topic covers the leading figures and institutions of the modern movement: the Bauhaus under Gropius, Meyer, and Mies van der Rohe; the work and writings of Le Corbusier, including his 'five points' and theory of the house as a machine for living; Mies's steel-and-glass aesthetic of 'less is more'; and Frank Lloyd Wright's organic architecture as a distinct modern path.
Core questions
- What did the Bauhaus teach and aim to achieve?
- What were Le Corbusier's main architectural ideas?
- How did Mies van der Rohe's minimalism develop?
- How did Wright's organic architecture differ from European modernism?
Key theories
- The house as a machine for living
- Le Corbusier's manifesto recasting the dwelling as a precisely designed machine and proposing 'five points' of a new architecture, including pilotis, the free plan, and the roof garden.
- Organic architecture
- Frank Lloyd Wright's principle, discussed in surveys such as Curtis's, that buildings should grow organically from their site, materials, and function, offering an American alternative to European functionalism.
History
Founded by Walter Gropius in 1919, the Bauhaus reshaped design education until its closure in 1933; Le Corbusier's villas and writings, Mies van der Rohe's steel-and-glass buildings in Europe and America, and Frank Lloyd Wright's organic architecture together established the canon of modern architecture, many of these figures emigrating to the United States in the 1930s.
Debates
- European functionalism versus organic architecture
- Historians contrast the machine aesthetic of European modernists with Wright's organic approach, debating which represents the more authentic or fruitful path for modern architecture.
Key figures
- Walter Gropius
- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
- Le Corbusier
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Related topics
Seminal works
- lecorbusier1927
- curtis1996
- frampton2007
Frequently asked questions
- What were Le Corbusier's 'five points'?
- They were pilotis (supporting columns), the free plan, the free façade, the horizontal ribbon window, and the roof garden—principles enabled by reinforced-concrete construction.
- What does 'less is more' mean?
- It is the dictum associated with Mies van der Rohe, expressing his pursuit of refined simplicity and minimal, precisely detailed form in steel-and-glass architecture.