Influences on Designers Mies Van Der Rohe and Breuer,...

To what extent did external influences shape what modernist design became in Europe in the 1920’s? Focusing on chair designs by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer. In design, external influences have always played a vital role in any given trend. In the 1920’s, an era commonly referred to as the Machine Age , modernist design followed a very focused approach: a desire to create a better world. In this essay, I will make a brief overview of the socio-economic situation of this time period, with a short introduction to the life of the two practitioners whose work I will analyse: Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. I will deliver an examination of their most famous designs, by considering three major themes: rejection of†¦show more content†¦The choice of using only the essential materials to create a bold, unconventional structure made this one of the most well-known chairs in the world. He also came up with the B 32; an alternative design of this chair, with no armrest to suit other preferences. Breuer also created the B 3 (Image 2); a design that minimised the usual heavy armchair into its most vital features, while keep ing its function and commodity with this clean geometrical design. ‘Truth to materials’ Although a rejection to ornamentation had been taken, it did not mean that pleasing aesthetics were ignored. Designers chose to take a brave path of making objects that shone through their bare appearance and intention. By doing this, they were incorporating art into the industry. Breuer’s design of the steel armchair (Image 2); was the first chair to be made with tubular steel as its frame material; a revolutionary advance in furniture design. This revealed the honest and true nature of the materials; the tubular steel and polished yarn fabric gave this piece lightness, resistance, and hygienic features. The fabric was positioned to avoid the user’s contact with the coolness of the steel, which additionally highlighted the geometrical look. With this, Breuer was also accomplishing a celebration of industrial imagery. ‘Form follows function’ ‘Form follows function’ incorporates the previous two themes in itself; design must be in directShow MoreRelatedThe Bauhaus : Art Education By Influencing Graphic, Interior, And Typography Design1096 Words   |  5 Pagesarchitect, which studied architecture at the technical institute in Munich from (1903–04) and in Berlin–Charlottenburg from (1905–07). During 1919-1928, German American architect and educator Walter Gropius, as director of the Bauhaus had a major influence on the development of modern architecture. Much of his work, was in collaboration with other architects. Which included the school building, and faculty housing at the Bauhaus from 1925 at the Harvard University Graduate Center, and the United States