Bauhaus Building, Dessau, 1925-1926: View from southwest 1926 - 1927

Curator: The clean lines and geometry of this image, Klaus Hertig’s photograph of the Bauhaus Building in Dessau, immediately strike me as modern and almost utopian. Editor: It feels austere to me, almost factory-like, with its flat roof and cubic volumes. I wonder about the social implications of these materials in 1926. Curator: The Bauhaus was founded on principles of merging art, craft, and technology. The glass curtain wall and reinforced concrete represent a deliberate rejection of ornamentation. It symbolized a new, functional future. Editor: Exactly! And the building itself became a material manifestation of that ideology – a space for producing functional objects for a modern, mechanized world. How were students trained here to use these materials and technologies? Curator: It’s a powerful visual symbol of progress. Looking at the Bauhaus text vertically, it evokes a very modern sensibility. Editor: Absolutely, and it’s essential to consider the politics inherent in these choices of materials. It also reveals the social environment in which it was produced. Curator: Thinking about this photograph now, it’s impressive how the Bauhaus’ symbolism continues to resonate. Editor: Indeed, the Bauhaus building as an image is a potent example of the power of materials shaping how we live and think.