1905 to 1915 – Germany is Catching Up

Survey 7 – Ten Years Summarized

These years were ones of definite transition for the entire world. In Europe and North America especially, the move towards modernity is at its peak as design aesthetics are revolutionized to fit with mass production and an increasingly consumerist society. Revolutionary inventions and advancements such as the Wright bothers’ aeroplane and the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway allow people everywhere to be more connected than ever before, and the newly released affordable Ford car and soon-to-come first trans atlantic phone call would only decrease the distance between people and communities around the globe. These inventions allowed for successful explorations of the north and south poles, a quick paced sharing of ideas which would influence fashion, art, and everyday life. They also played a major role in the development of modern warfare as first seen in the First World War. Everything was happening at a quicker pace than it had ever done before, leaving victorian and archaic society and ideas behind as the world sped forward at an increasing pace.

The Deutscher Werkbund – Werk those Design Principles

The Deutscher Werkbund, in english ‘German Association of Craftsmen’ was a coalition of artists, architects, designers, and industrialists, established in Munich in 1907.

The Werkbund heavily influenced the development industrial design and modern architecture, especially in the later creation of the Bauhaus school of design. Less of an artistic movement, the Werkbund was more of a state-sponsored effort to integrate traditional crafts and industrial mass production techniques. It was meant to raise German companies’ competitiveness to rival England and the US in global markets. The Werkbund motto, Vom Sofakissen zum Städtebau, meaning ‘from sofa cushions to city-building’, shows the association’s wide range of interest.

1914 Werkbund exhibition poster.

The Deutscher Werkbund’s intellectual leaders, architects Hermann Muthesius and Henry van de Velde, were influenced by the leader of the English Arts-and-crafts movement William Morris. However, Van de Velde and Muthesius expanded Morris’ ideas past from creating only hand crafted goods to include machine-made goods. Another new idea of theirs was that form should be determined only by function, and that decorative ornamentation was unnecessary.

Thought their fundamental ideas were very similar, Muthesius advocated the greatest possible use of mechanical mass production and standardized design, whereas Van de Velde maintained the value of individual artistic expression. In 1914, the Werkbund adopted Muthesius’ philosophy.

Simple “Weißenhof chair”, Werkbund, 1927.

Originally, the Werkbund had twelve architects and twelve business firms. These architects included Peter Behrens, Theodor Fischer (the first president of the Werkbund), Josef Hoffmann, Bruno Paul, and Richard Riemerschmid. Affiliated were Heinrich Tessenow and Henry van de Velde.

The Members of the Werkbund were focused on improving the overall level of taste in Germany by improving the design of everyday objects and products. This very practical aspect made it an extremely influential organization among industrialists, public policy experts, designers, investors, critics and academics.

Peter Behrens – The First Industrial Designer

Peter Behrens (14 April 1868 – 27 February 1940) was a German designer and architect. Important to the modernist movement, he employed the young Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius who were to become leading figures in the modernist movement themselves. 

When he was young, Behrens worked as a painter, illustrator and bookbinder in an artisanal fashion. A frequenter of bohemian circles, he took was interest in subjects relating to the reform of lifestyles.

Peter Behrens in his Berlin office, 1913.

In 1899, Behrens built his own house as a part of the Darmstadt Artists’ Colony, fully conceiving everything inside including the furniture, towels, art, etc. This project is considered to be the turning point in his life, when he left the artistic circles of Munich and moved towards a sober and austere style of design.

The music room in Behrens’ house at the Darmstadt Artists’ Colony, 1901.

In 1907, Behrens gathered with other architects and companies to create the German Werkbund. His work for AEG was important as it demonstrated on a large scale the Werkbund’s objectives and initiatives.

In 1907, AEG retained Behrens as artistic consultant. He designed the entire corporate identity including logotype, product design and publicity, and for that he is considered the first industrial designer in history. He never in fact was  an employee for AEG, instead acting as the company’s  artistic consultant.

Cited

Britannica, Henry Van-de- Velde: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-van-de-Velde

Britannica, Deutscher Werkbund: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Deutscher-Werkbund

Wikipedia, Deutscher Werkbund: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutscher_Werkbund

Wikipedia, Peter Behrens: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Behrens

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