In the short space of 14 years, from its inception 100 years ago in 1919 to its forcible closure under the Nazis in 1933, the Bauhaus school laid the foundations of the face of modern design, and established the system for how it was to be taught.
Marcel Breuer (1902-1981), for example, combined leather and textiles with his innovative tubular steel furniture to create tables, chairs and coffee tables with functional, modern designs. These designs became popular the world over and are still in production today. Breuer even named one of his chairs the Wassily Chair after his teacher, Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944).
Walter Gropius’ Bauhaus was also something of a utopian social experiment. The teachers he brought in developed the school’s unique instruction methodology and practices. Kandinsky, for example, taught his students to apply theoretical analyses to color, points, lines and planes, while Paul Klee (1879-1940) taught how all complex forms evolve from simple basic forms. The key to grasping complex natural forms, according to Klee, was in understanding the process in which these natural forms developed, as with the way in which a plant grew, or a flower bloomed. In this way, abstract ideas could be realized in concrete form. Students would then take these principles and apply them to other things.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons
照片：維基共享資源
The school came under pressure from the Nazis because of its leftist leanings, and Gropius was obliged to relocate Bauhaus from Weimar to Dessau in 1925 as a consequence. At this point in time, Germany had largely recovered from the desolation of World War I. The economy was strong again. Bauhaus was able to take on a more practical role, to meet the market demands in its new home, and the school and the city were able to work together in the fields of graphic design, furniture, textiles and architecture.
American automobile manufacturer Henry Ford’s biography was translated into German in 1923. His concepts of the assembly line, standardized manufacturing processes and the scientific approach to management systems was instrumental in the creation of a more practical, industrialized orientation for German design. It also allowed the Bauhaus school to marry its idealistic design concepts with more practical applications and, through mass production, have its influence felt throughout the globe.
(Translated by Paul Cooper)
Photos: Wikimedia Commons
照片：維基共享資源
包浩斯從一百年前的一九一九年創校，到一九三三年被納粹強行關閉，短短十四年間，卻奠定了當代設計的風貌，即便是現今的設計教育系統，亦不出其範疇。
例如馬塞爾·布勞耶（一九○二～一九八一年）首創鋼管家具，結合皮革或紡織品，設計出大量功能良好、造型現代化的桌子、椅子、茶几等家具，風靡全世界，至今仍在生產。布勞耶甚至把一款椅子命名為「瓦西里椅」，來向老師瓦西里‧康丁斯基（一八六六～一九四四年）致敬。
葛羅培斯所構設的包浩斯，也是他帶有烏托邦色彩的社會實驗，他所聘請的老師，形塑了學生的訓練方式和作品實踐。例如康丁斯基教學生分析色彩和點、線、面等形體的理論；保羅·克利（一八七九～一九四○年）引導學生說，所有的複雜型態都是從簡單的基本型態演變出來的，若要掌握複雜的自然形態，關鍵在於了解自然形態形成的過程，例如植物生長、開花的過程等。如此一來，抽象的內容便和具體的設計聯繫起來，學生便得以舉一反三。
Photos: Wikimedia Commons
照片：維基共享資源
由於包浩斯的左派傾向，威瑪的納粹政府在一九二五年將包浩斯驅離，葛羅培斯便將學校遷至德紹。在此時期，德國已走出第一次世界大戰後的頹敗，成為經濟強國。由於德紹城市發展的需求，使得包浩斯更「入世」──舉凡平面設計、家具、織品、建築等，都是學校與德紹市「建教合作」的發揮場域。
美國汽車大王亨利·福特的自傳在一九二三年翻譯成德文出版，福特的流水線、標準化生產，以及科學管理體制，對德國設計轉向現實主義、工業化生產造成關鍵影響，也讓包浩斯帶有理想主義的設計理念與現實密切結合，隨著大量生產而影響無遠弗屆。
（台北時報林俐凱）
Photos: Wikimedia Commons
照片：維基共享資源
A: The 2025 World Masters Games will begin on May 17 and run until May 30. B: World Masters Games? A: It’s a quadrennial multi-sport event for people over 30, which will be jointly held by Taipei and New Taipei City. B: Cool, maybe we can go cheer for all the athletes from home and abroad. A: There will be an athletes’ parade in downtown Taipei prior to the opening ceremony on Saturday. Let’s go then. A: 2025雙北世界壯年運動會5月17日開幕，持續至5月30日閉幕。 B: 世壯運？ A: 這是四年一度、以30歲以上青壯年為主的運動會，本屆是由台北市和新北市共同舉辦。 B: 好酷喔，我們去幫來自國內外的選手們加油吧！ A: 週六在台北市區會有選手遊行，之後是開幕典禮，我們去看吧。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪)
After the death of Pope Francis on April 21, the Vatican’s papal conclave on May 8 elected a new leader for the Catholic Church. Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, who chose to be called Leo XIV, became the 267th pope, spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. But what exactly does a pope do? Here is a rundown of his main responsibilities. CATHOLIC LEADER The word pope comes from the Greek “pappas,” meaning “father, patriarch,” which is why believers call him the Holy Father. He is considered the successor of St Peter, to whom Jesus Christ is said to have entrusted
Have you ever wondered who decides what we see in a museum or how one artwork seamlessly connects to the next? Behind every thoughtfully arranged gallery space stands a curator, a skilled professional who combines art and storytelling to craft meaningful experiences. The term “curator” originates from the Latin word cura, meaning “to care.” Curators were originally caretakers of museum collections, but over time, their role has grown to include a broad range of responsibilities that extend far beyond preservation. Today, curators manage, organize and interpret collections in cultural institutions like museums and libraries. They research, acquire and catalogue
A: Where will the 35 sports of the 2025 World Masters Games be held? B: Apart from Taipei and New Taipei City, some games will take place in Yilan County, Taoyuan County, and Hsinchu County and City. A: The news says about 25,000 people, including many celebrities and sports stars, have already registered for the games. B: Even Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, who is 47, registered for softball and squash. New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi, who is 68, also registered for table tennis. A: And it will be the largest sports event ever in Taiwan’s history. How exciting. A:
RSS