2. The aim for this Related Study is to investigate Bauhaus and New Vision Photography. I wish to explore the
development of The Bauhaus and how it seeked to redefine what makes an artist. I also wish to present the
New Vision Photography movement and express the principles that made up the style. Both of these
movements had an important place in the photography scene and were active between the periods of World
War 1 and World War 2.
As part of my Personal Investigation I explored the manipulation of light and experimental photography. My
related study will provide deeper understanding into why art began to develop after World War 1 and how
artists began to combine scientific methods to create new experimental photography. Their methods are
relevant to my Personal Investigation because can involve constructing an artificial scene or disrupting the
way light reaches the objects.
As part of my Related Study I will look into the work of Lazlo Maholy-Nagy. His works and teachings involve
progressing art and embracing new technology for people to be able to further express themselves in ways
that may not have been possible before. He had taught at the Bauhaus where he incorporated their manifesto
into his own creative vision.
Through focused investigation, I hope to gain greater understanding of the New Vision and how it influenced
the development of future creative movements that involve the pushing of existing boundaries in a particular
medium, providing me with deeper understanding into the themes of manipulation and distortion in my
Personal Investigation.
3. 1919 1933
Bauhaus
permanently
closed by the
Nazis
Founded by
Walter
Gropius in
Weimar
Paul Klee: Red Balloon
(1922)
Wassily Kandinsky:
Yellow-Red-Blue
(1925)
Marcel Breuer:
Club Chair (Model
B3) (The Wassily
Chair) (1925)
Herbert Bayer:
Universal Bayer
(1925)
Walter Gropius: Bauhaus
building in Dessau,
Germany (1925-1932)
László Moholy-
Nagy: Photogram
(1926)
Anni Albers:
Wall
Hanging
(1926)
Marianne Brandt:
Model No. MT 49
(1927)
László Moholy-Nagy: Light Prop
for an Electric Stage (1930)
Josef Albers: Homage to the
Square: Dissolving/Vanishing
(1951)
Walter Gropius:
Gropius House
(1937)
Bauhaus building in Weimar,
Germany (1919-1925)
Bauhaus building in Berlin,
Germany (1932-1933)
László Moholy-
Nagy opens
The School of
Design in
Chicago (1939)
Bauhaus
moves to
Dessau (1925)
Bauhaus
moves to
Berlin (1932)
BAUHAUS TIMELINE:
5. WHAT WAS THE BAUHAUS?
Photograph of Walter Gropius
by Louis Held (circa 1919)
Photograph of Oskar
Schlemmer by Hugo
Erfurth (1920)
The Bauhaus was an art school founded in
1919, in Weimar, Germany by German
architect Walter Gropius. The school operated
during the ‘interwar period’, the short 20-year
gap between World War One and World War
Two. This rich period of art thrived on the
broad range of artistic styles being developed,
such as Avant Garde and New Objectivity.
The initial image of the school had been developed around evolving the concept of what defines art, viewing
itself as a new hub for all types of artists and ideas to congregate. The Bauhaus encompassed ideas from the
Arts and Crafts Movement from the pre-war period, encouraging practical work more than theory, and aimed
at embracing the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) to become a unified place of functional art.
The school was active for 14 years until 1933,
when it was shut down by the Nazis, calling it
‘cultural Bolshevism’ believing the artistic
movement to be a disease spread by Jews and
Communists. The only way the school had hope
to remain open before this was with
government funding. Alfred Rosenburg, the
then cultural minister of the Nazi party,
proposed to support the school, as long as it
became a propaganda tool for the Third Reich.
The remaining members of the Bauhaus boldly
refused to support the Nazi government and
closed the school, fleeing the country to
continue their endeavours elsewhere without
creative censorship.
The Bauhaus emblem, designed by Oskar
Schlemmer was adopted in 1921.
The Bauhaus move to three different locations in Germany during its active period; Weimar, Dessau and Berlin.
7. From the beginning, the school saw itself as part of an “education reform”, leading the progression in collaboration between artists,
architects, photographers, scientists, designers and urban planners.
Through the work of its students and teachers, the ‘Bauhaus’ movement was
established, signified by its minimalist and abstract style, usually incorporating
simple geometric shapes.
The initial attitude that was formed within the school grew along with the
people working there. It became largely influential on future art movements
that developed in the post-war period.
Gropius led the beginning of the
Bauhaus movement and created the
manifesto that the school would follow.
He believed the old idea of an art
school to be flawed because of the lack
of unity between the crafts-based
disciplines.
Photographs of Bauhaus students studying.
BAUHAUS
EDUCATION REFORM
8. Group portrait of Walter Gropius and his students in Gropius' Bauhaus studio, Dessau, Germany
In contrast to the normal education
format, Walter Gropius emphasised
student’s individual development of
their skill and creative methods.
Academic requirements were discarded
for the enrolment process, so that any
student with talent could apply and be
accepted, regardless of their
educational background. This also
brought in larger diversity of students,
ranging from 25 to 50 per cent ratio of
women and 17 to 33 per cent ratio of
foreign students.
This photo of Walter Gropius and his
students conveys a sense of fun and
freedom that would be present in the
school. The students are not all sat in
the same position, their personality
shines through just by how they use
their allocated space. I feel the
collaboration of people in the frame
adds to the creative snapshot into their
environment.
BAUHAUS
EDUCATION REFORM
9. As part of the vision of overcoming the divide between the artisan and the artist, key principles were made to promote to everyone who
worked at the school. These were presented as a circular diagram, showing the fundamental curricular building blocks to make up the
order of study.
All students in their first
semester enrolled in the
compulsory, half-year
Preliminary Course, shown
by the outer ring of the
diagram. The course
explored theories of
colour and form, principles
of composition, studies of
materiality, exercises in
life drawing and visual
analysis. After successful
completion of this course,
students would begin
dedicated workshops for
their chosen craft. Only
after completing the
dedicated course, would
select students be
accepted into the study of
building (‘Bau’), at the
heart of the school’s
teaching philosophy.
Diagram of the Bauhaus curriculum (adapted, right), Walter Gropius, 1922. Lithograph.
BAUHAUS
EDUCATION REFORM
10. “The art schools of old were incapable
of producing this unity—and how could
they, for art may not be taught. They
must return to the workshop. This
world of mere drawing and painting of
draughtsmen and applied artists must
at long last become a world that
builds. When a young person who senses
within himself a love for creative
endeavour begins his career, as in the
past, by learning a trade, the
unproductive “artist” will no longer
be condemned to the imperfect practice
of art because his skill is now
preserved in craftsmanship, where he
may achieve excellence.”
- Excerpt from Walter Gropius’s Bauhaus
manifesto
11. Minimalism:
“Bauhaus artists favoured linear and geometrical forms,
avoiding floral or curvilinear shapes.”
Emphasis on technology:
“Bauhaus workshops were used for developing prototypes of
products for mass production. The artists embraced the new
possibilities of modern technologies.”
Smart use of resources:
“Bauhaus ideology is characterised by the economic way of
thinking. The representatives of the Bauhaus movement
wanted to achieve controlled finance, productive time-
consuming projects and precise material use. It is all about
the smart use of resources, with a zero-waste ideal in mind.”
Simplicity and Effectiveness:
“There is no need for additional ornamenting and making
things more and more ‘beautiful’. They are just fine as they
are.”
Constant development:
“Bauhaus is all about new techniques, new materials, new
ways of construction, new attitude – all the time. Architects,
designers, and artists have to invent something new all the
time. Thus, Bauhaus influenced the new forms of arts like
graphic design which emerged 100 years ago. Bauhaus also
led to the emergence of new forms of interior design.”
No border between artist and craftsman:
“In a pamphlet for an April 1919 exhibition, Gropius stated
that his goal was to create a new guild of craftsmen, without
the class distinctions which raise an arrogant barrier
between craftsman and artist. It is said in the manifesto, that
architects, sculptors, painters, we must all turn to the
crafts.”
The artist is an exalted craftsman:
“In rare moments of inspiration, moments beyond the
control of his will, the grace of heaven may cause his work to
blossom into art. But proficiency in his craft is essential to
every artist. Therein lies a source of creative imagination.”
Form follows function:
“According to this idea, simple but elegant geometric shapes
were designed based on the intended function or purpose of
a building or an object. Though the functionality needn’t be
boring as we can see from the Bauhaus buildings.”
Gesamtkunstwerk or the ‘complete work of art’:
“Gesamtkunstwerk means a synthesis of multiple art forms
such as fine and decorative arts. A building and its
architecture was only one part of the concept. The other
part is design.”
True materials:
“Materials should reflect the true nature of objects
and buildings. Bauhaus architects didn’t hide even brutal
and rough materials.”
BAUHAUS
THE PRINCIPLES OF THE BAUHAUS MOVEMENT:
12.
13. The New Vision – Willi Ruge,
Seconds Before Landing, 1931
“The new world will
not need little
pictures, if it
needs a mirror, it
has the photograph
and the cinema.”
The Conquest of Art (1922)
14. NEW VISIONS
IN CONTEXT
Around 1920-1930 was a rise of experimental and artistic photographic methods. After the First World War, artists began to
reclaim the mechanisms of image-making to use it as a form of creative expression. Before, photography was mainly only used
for documenting and recording. The New Vision (German: Neues Sehen or Neue Optik) was an art movement that developed
beginning in the 1920s. It was based around the practice of photography and focused on observing the world through the
camera’s lens to capture regular scenes creatively.
New Vision is defined as an experimental movement that aimed to view the world from the camera lens to capture elements
from unexpected angles, and search for contrast in form and light. The style would fall under the genre of experimental
photography. It was its own defined rules, meaning that not every photograph created during this time would be considered
part of the ‘New Vision’.
As the camera can capture a scene and turn it into a flat image, artists begun creating new ways to use this medium as a form of
artistic expression. The development of New Vision was recognising the potential photography had as a unique form of art with
its unique properties. During this time, photography was also becoming more accepted by artists as the alternative way to
document instead of painting due to its instantaneous nature.
The philosophy of this movement was directly related to the principles of the Bauhaus and encouraged research and
development into using photography as an artistic medium.
Some examples of New Vision Artists include:
• László Moholy-Nagy
• August Sander
• Alexander Rodchenko
• Lux Feininger
• Herbert Bayer
• Albert Renger-Patzsch
• Roger Parry
• El Lissitzky
After the Bauhaus was shut down, many of the teachers and students fled
overseas, lest they be executed by the Nazis. The New Vision continued
the legacy of the Bauhaus.
“You heard about Mies van der Rohe ... going to Chicago,
Gropius going to Boston, the Alberses going to North
Carolina, Kandinsky to Paris and so on.” - Nicholas Fox
Weber
15. NEW VISIONS
WHO WAS PART OF THE MOVEMENT?
LÁSZLÓ MOHOLY-NAGY - Boats, Marseille, 1929
Gelatin silver print
EL LISSITZKY – The Constructor, Self-
Portrait , 1924–1931
Gelatin silver print
ALEXANDRE RODTCHENKO - Shukhov
Tower, 1929
Gelatin silver print
All of these artist play an
important part in the New
Vision movement.
El Lissitzky was a prominent
figure in influencing the
Bauhaus and De Stijl
movements.
Alexandre Rodtchenko was a
one of the founders of the
constructivism art movement.
Both El Lissitzky and
Alexandre Rodtchenko came
from Russian constructivism
before moving to Germany to
work with other Bauhaus
figures.
Together along with László
Moholy-Nagy, these three artist
made up the main sources of
pioneering for style of the New
Vision movement in the 1920’s.
16. FILM UND FOTO:
NEW VISIONS
IN CONTEXT
Film und Foto was a significant exhibition devoted to New Vision
photography. It contained approximately 1,000 works from across
Europe, the Soviet Union, and the United States.
“This exhibition showcased the diversity of
contemporary developments in these media, as well as
their use in design, advertising, and other forms of
mass communication.” - Frauke Josenhans
17. "Thanks to the
photographer, humanity
has acquired the power
of perceiving its
surroundings, and its
very existence, with
new eyes.“
László Moholy-Nagy
18. AFTER THE BAUHAUS WAS SHUT DOWN:
- Emigrated to America from Germany in 1937
- Began a new school in Chicago called ‘New Bauhaus’.
- Shut down due to loss of financial backing. He opened the ‘School of
Design’ afterwards.
NEW VISIONS
WHO WAS LÁSZLO MAHOLY-NAGY?
László Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian painter and photographer, as well
as a professor in the Bauhaus school. László was one of the key artist
behind the New Vision movement. He believed that there should be
integration between technology, industry and the arts. His interest in
bringing art into a new age was fuelled by modern inventions such as
affordable pocket cameras, which meant the technology would become
affordable for a wider audience.
Lazlo’s interpretation of modern technology was that it was meant to be
used and learnt by people so they could further expand their own
creative visions.
Photos of László’s book: Malerei, Photographie, Film (Painting,
Photography, Film) - Published in 1925
LÁSZLÓ MOHOLY-NAGY – Self-Portrait , 1926
Gelatin silver print
20. “When the true qualities
of photography are
recognized, the process
of representation by
mechanical means will be
brought to a level of
perfection never before
reached.”
László Moholy-Nagy
21. NEW VISIONS
EMPHASIS ON TECHNOLOGY
One of the Bauhaus principles was titled ‘emphasis on technology’.
Bauhaus teachers such as László Moholy-Nagy were eager to
incorporate modern technology in the creative process. Scientific
advancements such as the x-ray were used to progress the sciences.
Artist used this technology instead to push the definition of
photography, now having the ability to produce cameraless photos.
The Bauhaus also supports using technology to simplify processes.
Independent artists could learn to prototype products in preparation
for mass production. By embracing new technology, the could reach
new heights with their work. Giving the artists more control over the
amount of outcomes they can make and the speed at which they can
make them helps visualise their creative process without losing
momentum, like with polaroid cameras.
László Moholy-Nagy utilises new technology a lot in his work. He was
one of the pioneers in the new experimentation of photograms, a
more affordable method to producing cameraless images to,
producing a visual outcome comparable to x-rays.
WHAT IS A PHOTOGRAM?:
A photogram is a photographic print
made by laying objects
onto photographic paper and exposing
it to light
GYÖRGY KEPES - Hand on Black Ground, 1939–40
Gelatin silver print
“While we should not be unconditional
technoenthusiasts, he argued that we have to try and
move on without miserable isolation [from technology]
or escapism. Instead, we should do the opposite:
appropriate and engage with it, playfully, and try to
figure out what good might come about and to what
degree we can achieve some sense of ourselves, our
abilities and capacities, with what we thought of as
constraints.”
Krzysztof Wodiczko
22. NEW VISIONS
EMPHASIS ON TECHNOLOGY
- Page excerpt from ‘MALEREI, FOTOGRAFIE, FILM’
LÁSZLÓ MOHOLY-NAGY – Fotogramm, 1926
Gelatin silver print
László Moholy-Nagy coined the term ‘photogram’. Photograms
work by getting light sensitive paper and placing objects on top of
the paper. The forms captured by the photographic paper are
silhouette-esque. Opaque objects prevent light from passing
through them, which produces a defined white image after being
exposed to the light. Transparent objects produce a less defined,
ghostlike shape from the form.
24. IWAO YAMAWAKI A defining characteristic of New
Vision is the unconventional
angles that photographers would
capture scenes from. It is common
to see photos from high or low
angles. The dynamism of the
frame from New Vision
photography adds much more
movement into the scenes.
NEW VISIONS
GRAPHIC EXPERIMENTS – HIGH & LOW ANGLED SHOTS
LÁSZLÓ MOHOLY-NAGY – Xanti
Schawinsky on a Bauhaus
balcony, 1928
LÁSZLÓ MOHOLY-NAGY –
Berlin Radio Tower, 1928
IWAO YAMAWAKI - Untitled (Modernist architecture)
1930 - 1932
Gelatin silver print
Iwao Yamawaki, was a
Japanese photographer and
architect who trained at the
Bauhaus. His work makes great
use of repeating forms and
shadow to highlight the
symmetry in architecture.
25. Florence Henri
NEW VISIONS
GRAPHIC EXPERIMENTS – REFLECTIONS
The lobby of the Bauhaus building, reflected in one
of the glass spheres which decorated the building
during the Metallic festival, 1929.
WALTER FUNKAT – Glass Spheres, 1929
“With photography, what I really want to do is compose the
image, as I do in painting, the volumes, lines, shadows and
light should submit to my will and say what I would like them
to say. All of this under the strict control of the
composition, because I do not claim to be able to explain the
world or to explain my own thoughts.”
Florence Henri
FLORENCE HENRI – Composition abstraite (Still-
life composition), 1929
FLORENCE HENRI – Self
portrait, 1928
Mirrors create reflections of whatever they are facing. These are false copies of
existing elements. They can be manipulated to hide elements or capture only the
desired part of a scene. The reflected images are fragments of the originals, New
Visions promotes technical manipulation of the world. These photos show unique
perspectives of regular scenes due to the framing of the objects or warping of light.
26. NEW VISIONS
GRAPHIC EXPERIMENTS – COLLAGE MANIPULATION
LÁSZLÓ MOHOLY-NAGY – The Law of
Series, 1925
LÁSZLÓ MOHOLY-NAGY – Unsere
Grossen, 1927
Similar to my collage manipulation, New Vision also experiments with
image collage and composition. Removing images from their normal
background and placing them among graphical shapes and lines created a
surreal landscape. It is impossible to tell the original sizes of each element
in the composition. László has used this to his advantage by using multiple
elements in one scene and drawing a landscape by hand to create the
illusion of a vanishing point.
27. Throughout my Related Study I found out that The Bauhaus made great progress in redefining
what makes an artist. They did this through reinventing the teaching process and providing an
environment that gave students an equal chance against each other. Bauhaus promoted creativity
and simplicity at its core. I wonder how Bauhaus may have developed if it were not closed
prematurely due to the Nazis controlling Germany.
I focused most on the work of László Moholy-Nagy. His photographic style drew my attention
because of its dynamic camera angles and his unique uses of cameraless photography methods.
When I produce my own photographs today, I take into consideration using unconventional angles
and not sticking to the same spot so I can get up close and view how the form can be simplified
into a energetic composition.
The impact of both The Bauhaus and New Vision are evident in future art movements and
photography. The attention to form and use of basic materials directly influenced minimalism and
brutalism in the 1960’s. I believe that the invasion of the Nazis and closure of The Bauhaus caused
this spread of the school’s influence due to the teachers and students fleeing overseas to continue
their work.
Overall, I have greatly benefitted from studying the history of Bauhaus and the New Vision
movement. Both of their manifestos have helped me appreciate how I can find fascinating
composition in all genres of photography and motivates me to look forward to technological
advancements that I may use to further express my own creative vision.
28. WEBSITES
• Bauhaus Kooperation - https://www.bauhauskooperation.com/knowledge/
https://www.bauhauskooperation.com/knowledge/the-bauhaus/works/photography/bauhaus-canteen-dessau/
https://www.bauhauskooperation.com/knowledge/the-bauhaus/phases/the-aftermath/
• Nadia Herzog, These are the Key Points of the Bauhaus Manifesto, Widewalls (May 2016) -
https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/bauhaus-manifesto-key-points
• Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Gropius
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Schlemmer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neues_Sehen
• Collection Online, Guggenheim - https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/laszlo-moholy-nagy
• Photoquotes.com - https://photoquotes.com/search?search_text=László+Moholy-Nagy
• The New Vision, Tate - https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/new-vision
BOOKS
• Kessels Eric, ‘FAILED IT!’, Phaidon, 2016
• Marien Mary, ‘PHOTOGRAPHY VISIONARIES’, Laurence King Publishing, 2015
29. WEBSITES
• Moholy-Nagy Foundation - https://moholy-nagy.org/teaching/
• ABC News - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-30/nazis-shut-down-the-bauhaus-but-design-school-legacy-lived-
on/10947778
• MOMA - https://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/publications/771.html
• Art Blart - https://artblart.com/2011/08/09/exhibition-alexander-rodchenko-revolution-in-photography-at-fotomuseum-
winterthur-zurich/
• Un Framed LACMA - https://unframed.lacma.org/2013/08/06/fifo
• The Met - https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nvis/hd_nvis.htm
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/phbh/hd_phbh.htm
• Harvard - https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/2019/05/in-space-movement-and-the-technological-body-bauhaus-
performance-finds-new-context-in-contemporary-technology/
• Aesthetics of Photography - https://aestheticsofphotography.com/the-new-
vision/#:~:text=In%20the%201920s%2C%20the%20photographers,go%20as%20far%20as%20abstraction.
• Lars Müller Publishers - https://www.lars-mueller-publishers.com/painting-photography-film
