Neue Sachlichkeit and Bauhaus Reflect Changes

The Rise of the Nazi Regime

The 1919 Treaty of Versailles brought Germany tremendous shame after World War I (WWI). The treaty contained very harsh terms intended to weaken Germany, particularly when it was required to make significant war damage reparations. (Bessel 95). The treaty also resulted in the loss of the nation’s colonies and territories, which added to the desire for autocracy among the populace to replace the existing democratic government. Adolf Hitler gradually began gaining power beginning in the early 1920s and continued to do so until he was named Chancellor in 1933, which marked the beginning of the rise of the Nazi regime. (98). Hitler promised the citizens that he would return the country to its former glory and he emphasized on nationalism. To understand the social and economic changes that Germany experienced between 1919 and 1933, the paper will focus on the operations of Bauhaus and Neue Sachlichkeit movements.

Bauhaus Movement

Bauhaus was a German art movement that was founded by Walter Gropius. Unfortunately, the movement only lasted for fourteen years from 1919 to 1933 after the rise of the Nazi rule. Bauhaus development paralleled that of the Weimar Republic as both progressed with the end of the war, flourished during the interwar years, and ended in 1933 with the rise of the Third Reich (107). The movement remains famous for its outstanding work in bringing together fine arts and crafts which were mass produced. Traditionally, design and architecture which were under fine arts were viewed as more superior when compared to crafts including woodworking and painting. Bauhaus represented the yearning to come up with modern architecture while applying new materials like steel, reinforced concrete, and glass (Droste 17). The movement also came up with new construction methods including skeleton construction and glass facades. Founded mainly on the principle of function, the new form of buildings by the movement were completely opposed to the traditional and historical symbols of representation. The movement reflects an era when the Germans were in much need of change which was triggered by the devastating effects of the war.

Women in the Bauhaus Movement

The Bauhaus movement reflected a major social change in Germany where women were allowed to participate in traditionally male-dominated activities. For instance, the student’s body at the Bauhaus was international in nature and very diverse, with the female students making up almost fifty-percent. Several ladies in the Bauhaus rose to fame including, Marianne Brandt for her teapots, which later on became icons of the industrial designs (Bergdoll and Leah 56). As the first woman to be admitted into the metalworking program, Brandt was a well-trained painter. Brandt studied metalwork under the guidance of Moholy- Nagy, and she was later promoted to the position of a workshop assistant. In 1928, Brandt succeeded Moholy-Nagy as the director of the workshop studio. Brandt’s industrial designs for various household items have been acknowledged as the unique excellence of the movement’s aesthetic (62). Nonetheless, although Gropius created an outward image of gender equality, most of the female students were mainly concentrated into pottery workshop, bookbinding, and weaving as alternatives as was the case in the different settings in the entire country.

Economic Challenges and Turn towards Mass Production

Moving forward, the German hyperinflation of between 1922 and 1923 saw the exchange rates rise to a peak of 4.2 trillion marks to the dollar (Widdig 34). At the height of the hyperinflation, the commodity prices were rising so fast that banknotes became useless and workers had to carry their daily pay with wheelbarrows. The hyperinflation created losers and winners where the middle class with debts and mortgages found relief while those who had savings suffered greatly. Under the pressures of the hyperinflation in 1923, the Bauhaus started its turn towards mass production and industrial designs (Raizman 188).

Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity Movement)

The Neue Sachlichkeit movement was established after the World War I by George Grosz and Otto Dix in Germany. The artistic movement arose in the early 1920s in reaction to Expressionism. Opposed to the prevailing more inward-looking, psychological and abstract reality, New Objectivity reflected more on the unsentimental reality (Plumb 44). There was more focus towards a practical engagement and an all-business attitude which was famous among the Americans at the time. The movement was characterized mainly in terms of the right and left wing – the left wing had verists, while the right wing had classicists (47).

Persecution and Suppression of the Neue Sachlichkeit Movement

Just like the Bauhaus, the New Objectivity movement ended with the fall of Weimar Republic in 1933. With the upsurge of the Nazi regime, the authorities condemned the movement, and most of its works were seized or destroyed. Also, the movement’s key artists including Adolf Uzarski, Otto Nagel, and Karl Hubbuch were forbidden entirely to paint again (56). Before the birth of the movement, the Germans depended on Expressionism which depicted their passion and hope for a bright future. However, after the war, people started paying close attention to their daily lives and gave up on the unrealistic dreams represented by Expressionism. The search for authenticity, more practical and sober and technique to the daily challenges facilitated the development of the movement’s ideology.

The Divergent Reception of the Neue Sachlichkeit Movement

Nonetheless, regardless of the movement’s strength, very few art dealers and galleries in Berlin were interested in the emerging style of art. In fact, only the gallery Neumann-Nierendorf, headed by Karl Nierendorf that favored the work by New Objectivity artists (Bradshaw, Laura and Rebecca 79). The art dealers and galleries argued that work by New Objectivity artist would not attract many buyers. A painting by Otto Dix depicted all the ugliness of the prostitutes’ world and their customers heartlessly. Other works by artists like Max Beckham depicted the decadence of the upper class and the fevered murder scenes by Rudolf Schlichter. The work of all the movement’s artists was characterized by a response to the end of the war with a combination of hope for a better tomorrow and skepticism (83). Therefore, the work of the movements’ artists portrayed a people undergoing economic and social hardships with the aim of changing their lives for better by all means possible.

Conclusion

To sum up, WWI ended with the punitive Treaty of Versailles. The treaty wreaked humiliating damages upon the Germans, leading to a dazed disbelief and feelings of anger and desolation. The country had not been invaded, and Berlin was still standing. Therefore, Germans failed to understand how the country had lost the war. The devastating consequences of the war mainly led to the rise of Bauhaus and the New Objectivity movements which unfortunately ended with the rise of the Nazi regime in 1933. Both the movements reflect the social and economic change, as Germans tried to make ends meet in the harsh economic times, with the establishment of new ways of life. Further, the two movements depict people who were against the prevailing ways in the fields of architecture, building, and arts.

Works Cited

Bergdoll, Barry, and Leah Dickerman. Bauhaus: 1919-1933 : Workshops for Modernity. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2009. Print.

Bessel, Richard. Germany After the First World War. Oxford [u.a.: Clarendon Press, 2002. Print.

Bradshaw, David, Laura Marcus, and Rebecca Roach. Moving Modernisms: Motion, Technology, and Modernity. , 2016. Print.

Droste, Magdalena. Bauhaus: 1919-1933. Köln: TASCHEN, 2015. Print.

Plumb, Steve. Neue Sachlichkeit: 1918-33 : Unity and Diversity of an Art Movement. Amsterdam [u.a.: Rodopi, 2006. Print.

Raizman, David. History of Modern Design: Graphics and Products Since the Industrial Revolution. London: Laurence King Publishing, 2014. Print.

Widdig, Bernd. Culture and Inflation in Weimar Germany. Berkeley, Calif: University of California, 2001. Print.