Going D(e)ut(s)ch: De Stijl & Mies van der Rohe

Going D(e)ut(s)ch: De Stijl & Mies van der Rohe

Overview of De Stijl Movement

  • Composition VII by Theo van Doesburg (1917)
  • Red and Blue Chair by Gerrit Rietveld (1917)
  • Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow by Piet Mondrian (1921)
  • Neo-Plasticism or De Stijl: An art movement initiated in 1917 by painters Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian.
    • Origin of Name: Derived from a journal published by van Doesburg, continuing into the 1920s.
    • Primary Artistic Impulse: To abstract nature using straight lines and primary colors. The goal was to reveal the essential essence of objects through a fixed vocabulary of artistic forms.
    • Broader Influence: The movement notably influenced architecture more significantly than other art forms; several Neo-Plasticists joined the Bauhaus, impacting figures like Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe.

Exhibitions and Works

  • GALERIE L'EFFORT MODERNE:
    • Artists included: Theo van Doesburg, H. van Eesteren, W. Huszar, J. J. P. Oud, G. Rietveld.
    • Exhibition invited by van Doesburg and van Eestern in Paris, Fall 1923.
Specific Works and Architectures

  • Construction de l'espan:

    • Neo-Plasticist construction by Theo van Doesburg (1923).

  • Schröder House:

    • Designed by Gerrit Rietveld in Utrecht, Netherlands (1924).
    • Floor plans detailed:
      • Upper floor plans showing open work-sleeping areas and closed hall spaces.

  • Hilversum Town Hall:

    • Architect: Willem Dudok
    • Location: Hilversum, Netherlands (1928-1931).

  • Café de Unie:

    • Architect: J. J. P. Oud
    • Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands (1925).

  • Worker’s Housing:

    • Architect: J. J. P. Oud
    • Location: Hook-of-Holland, The Netherlands (1924).

  • Friedrichstrasse Skyscraper Project:

    • Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1922).
    • Context: Includes sketches and elevation studies of the glass skyscraper model.

  • Brick Country House:

    • Architect: Mies van der Rohe (1924).
    • Related to De Stijl composition.

  • Weissenhof Siedlung:

    • Planner: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1927), Stuttgart, Germany. Notable architects involved: Victor Bourgeois, J. J. P. Oud, Le Corbusier, among others.

  • German State Pavilion (Barcelona Pavilion):

    • Architect: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1929), located in Barcelona, Spain. Prominent exhibition space for the 1929 International Exposition.

  • Tugendhat House:

    • Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Brno, Czech Republic (1929-1930).
    • Notable for its modernist design and integration with the landscape.

Historical Context

  • Bauhaus:

    • Mies van der Rohe served as the 3rd Director from 1930 until the school's closure in 1933 due to Nazi influence. After the Nazis took control of Dessau, Mies relocated the Bauhaus to an old factory in the Steglitz neighborhood of Berlin. However, the school only operated for one term there before being permanently shut down by the government.

  • Government Response:

    • A police raid occurred in the Bauhaus in Steglitz in April 1933, targeting alleged illegal activities and confiscating prohibited publications. This raid signified the increasing repression of artistic and academic movements under Nazi rule, with many members of the Bauhaus facing scrutiny or fleeing.