Bauhaus: Crucible of Modernism

Rating:
Summary: The Bauhaus Is Our House
Review: This interesting book addresses an important gap in America's understanding of the Bauhaus - the social/political and historical context that gave rise to the architectural school and artistic vision that has come to permeate our everyday lives. Hochman convincingly argues that only by understanding the combat experiences of Walter Gropius during WWI and the chaos of the Weimar Republic, can one appreciate the socialist and utopian ideology that was at the core of the Bauhaus. Her descriptions of Gropius' ongoing struggle to protect his school, the valiant efforts of Dessau's mayor Fritz Hesse, and Mies van der Rohe's attempts to reign in the radical communist student faction, are particularly vivid. At times the narrative is hard to follow, but in fairness the author is trying to describe one of the most confused and chaotic periods of modern German history. If you're interested in the Bauhaus, Weimar Germany, or would just like to know how and why most of our houses and offices came to look the way they do, this book's for you.