Bauhaus. L'idea che ha cambiato il mondo

by Valentina Grande, Sergio Varbella (Illustrator)

Il Bauhaus ha segnato una cesura verso tutti i passati, anche quelli a noi prossimi. Il primo decennio del Novecento è stato animato in tutta Europa da una forte volontà di cambiamento guidata dai giovani. Era la forza della gioia e della gioventù. In quel contesto l’idea di rinnovamento nel Bauhaus è passata anche attraverso la spiritualità, la sessualità non-normativa, la presenza delle donne, l’anticapitalismo, la condivisione. La distruzione del passato non avveniva usando la forza o le armi, ma attraverso la libertà dei singoli individui. Questo, tra tutti gli insegnamenti della scuola, ci porta a una considerazione oggi, a un secolo dalla fondazione del Bauhaus: la libertà spaventa. In nome del decoro, della norma e del passato, le persone sono incasellate ed eterodirette. Ma non c’è creazione artistica, non c’è guizzo di genio, non c’è sviluppo personale, non c’è essere umano dove c’è controllo.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Art, History, Bande Dessinée, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics

126 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Valentina Grande is a teacher and a radio author and host for the literary programmes McLuhan Is Here, 42 - The Answer, and Simply Salinger, airing on Radio Onda d’Urto and Radio Città Fujiko. In 2017, she wrote the script and screenplay for the graphic novel Il mio Salinger (My Salinger), BeccoGiallo editions,
published in France for Steinkis editions.
She currently lives and works in Bologna, Italy.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hoping for a nonfiction book about the Bauhaus school and movement, I was disappointed to find that this book has the bizarre fantasy conceit that the narrator is the actual Bauhaus school. That aside, it's not a particularly good introduction for anyone unfamiliar with the subject, as it assumes knowledge about the people involved and the events surrounding them and rushes through several decades pretty quickly. Proofreader Jonathan Fox let several errors through to boot.

[Bill Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine little graphic novel that tells the story of the Bauhaus and its artists. The prose is crisp and informed and the graphics make use of Bauhaus design elements and primary colors. Really an excellent use of the medium to impart history that too few Americans know.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valentina Grande and Sergio Varbella's Bauhaus is a quick read, and can only touch upon surfaces of the complex world of the famous pre-war art school. But the book succeeds by incorporating Bauhaus design principles into Varbella's page layouts, and the simplicity of the narrative meshes with core elements of the Bauhaus philosophy.

Each of the principle creative personalities to emerge from the school receive only capsule biographies, but this serves to broaden the scope of Valentina Grande's story to include coverage of the lesser-known female artists who honed their talents alongside their more lauded male peers.

[Malikaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wenn die gedruckten Bilder mit CMYK und nicht Rot, Blau und Gelb gedruckt sind 😔😞

Aber Spaß beiseite, die Story hat mich mehr gepackt als erwartet und die Illustrationen haben super gepasst. Vor allem ist es toll das hier die Frauen genauso viel Aufmerksamkeit kriegen wie die Männer und auf die Ungerechtigkeit eingegangen wird. Ich hatte vorher in den Kommentaren gelesen, in der Geschichte steckt viel fiktives. Im Nachwort dagegen, erzählt die Autorin davon, wie viel Arbeit es war die Recherche zu betreiben von den Zeitzeugen und den Erfahrungsberichten als auch den Biografien… ich vertraue einfach mal darauf. Und andererseits die diskutierte Perspektive des Erzählers, des Bauhauses selbst, ergibt schon ziemlich Sinn, ansonsten wäre es womöglich ziemlich kompliziert geworden und man hat eine „objektive“ Sicht auf das Geschehen. Für Einsteiger ist es wirklich nicht geeignet.

Ende gut, alles #goob

[Eugenio Gomez-acebo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful graphic novel that tells the story of the Bauhaus and its artists, its phylosophy and avatars through history, with a Bauhaus style itself. Its influence is huge in all design of the 20th century and beyond. I am not a particular fan of the Bauhaus design elements and primary colors, minimalistic and simple, the triumph of function over beauty. Modern cities are ugly mainly because someone read this superficially. In any case, the comic book is beautiful and original.

[Ana O · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Anna V · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m truly so excited that a graphic novel about the Bauhaus exists! A+ for this endeavor and for the use of Bauhaus design elements. That said, I found this a bit hard to follow. I like the concept of the school as the narrator, but I felt it fit oddly alongside the more traditional, character-led scenes. If the book had been longer, with more time to flesh out the history and narrative, that might’ve helped with the clarity of things.

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una graphic novel su una scuola artistica di cui conosco vari esponenti (Klee e Kandinsky).
Interessante conoscere la sua storia e le fasi che ha vissuto.
Belli i disegni che ti catturano con i loro colori.

[Tabish Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the English version of this and it does a helpful job of summing up the story of Bauhaus and the key figures in terms of setting up, running and being a part of such an influential school.

It can be tricky to follow at times but the illustrations are great and the graphic novel format does make art history a lot more accessible.

[Andrea Samorini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dalla sitografia
- Bauhaus Archiv
- Google Arts and Culture
- Celebrating six trailblazing Bauhaus women. By Alexandra Lange, 2019 - Curbed

[Frank Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lediglich 14 Jahre bestand das Bauhaus. Und musste dabei drei Mal umziehen. Und dennoch hat diese Kunstschule unser Leben massiv geprägt, so dass die Einflüsse, die von dieser staatlichen Kunstschule ausgingen, bis heute nachwirken. Wie z.B. der Bildband Bau1haus eindrücklich zeigt.

Valentina Grande schreibt im Nachwort, dass dieses Buch keine schnöde Dokumentation werden sollte, sondern das Gefühl der Lebensfreude vermitteln, die von den Künstlern ausgegangen ist. Dabei hat sie die Schule in Form eines Ich-Erzählers in diesem Buch mitwirken lassen. Beides kommt meines Erachtens nur dann an, wenn dem Leser die Kunstschule wenigstens in seinen Grundzügen bekannt ist.

Eine Graphic Novel eignet sich natürlich enorm, um die Geschichte einer Kunstschule zu erzählen, die sich mit der bildenden Kunst auseinandergesetzt hat. Sie war die erste Schule, die Kunst und Handwerk zusammengeführt hat, was darin mündete, dass die unterschiedlichsten Materialen verwendet wurden und die Ausbildung auch darin bestand, den Umgang mit ihnen zu erlernen.

Die Illustrationen orientieren sich an der modernen Kunst, was recht gut zum Bauhaus-Konzept passt. Sergio Varbella hat allerdings in meinen Augen nur bedingt die Personen so getroffen, dass sie irgendwie wiedererkannt werden können. Immerhin haben Künstler als Lehrkräfte mitgewirkt, die sich heute großer Berühmtheit erfreuen und von denen es entsprechend viel Bildmaterial gibt. Die Zeichnungen sind sehr großflächig ausgefallen und oftmals finden sich nur wenige Comic-Fenster auf einer Seite. Dadurch kommen die Kunstwerke besser zur Geltung, aber es wird dadurch natürlich auch weniger erzählt.

Fazit

Ich finde nicht, dass dieses Buch die Lebensfreude versprüht, die Valentina Grande in ihrem Nachwort erwähnt hat. Es vermittelt eher die Hürden und Tücken, die mit der Gründung dieser Kunstschule einhergingen, denn es liegt auf der Hand, dass viel Konfliktpotential mit einer solchen neuartigen Schule vorhanden war. Der Leser sollte zumindest ein rudimentäres Wissen zu Bauhaus haben, um diesem Buch folgen zu können. Und damit sich der ein oder andere Aha-Effekt einstellt, falls etwas aufpoppt, was man dem Bauhaus gar nicht zugeordnet hat. Für Kunstinteressierte ist diese Graphic Novel einen Blick wert.

[Caroline H · Rating 3 out of 5]

The BAUHAUS is among us

[Kendall Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bauhaus, a graphic novel, tells a compelling story about the movement's birth, life, death, and afterlife. Grande makes a unique decision in assigning the narrator's role to the spirit of Bauhaus. I must admit that it was not until halfway through my initial read of the book that I realized this, and I spent quite a bit of time both fascinated and confused. However, my frustration did not cause me to give up reading, due to Grande's unique voice paired with Varbella's stunning illustrations. Upon finishing the book, I set it down for a week, and as I could not stop thinking about it, I read it again. If you are able to keep an open mind when it comes to explaining something as abstract as an artistic movement, I highly recommend this book.

Grande provides Bauhaus with an alluring and rolling tone. Lines such as "...and the silence becomes a refuge for memories. In the beauty and the pain of having been and now no longer being" (page 10) lull the reader into the sorrowful yet poetic environment of post-World War I Germany. The character of Bauhaus develops and matures throughout the story, often referencing its age and other personifying attributes. However, practical principles are presented in a very straightforward tone, such as on page 43 where Walter remarks on how students would be taught by two masters, "one will teach them the manual practice, and the other the beauty of form." The dialogue combined with Marbella's witty Bauhaus-esque illustrations provide a deeper understanding of the artistic movement's roots.

Varbella's illustrations demonstrate a true mastery of color with her ability to go from muted tones to explosive hues. Both the abstract and literal interpretations put the viewer in the visual mindset of the Bauhaus. Her range of styles reflects the change in Bauhaus' identity over time as well as its reaction to the confining walls built to restrain it.

While the story may not be the best for someone unfamiliar with Bauhaus, an unfamiliar reader is able to use the book as a guideline for future study with its references to dates, times, and people and their relations to each other.

Brief introductions to different members and influential figures of the movement at a rather fast rate but still manage to communicate the soul of each individual introduced. For example, page 80 features the painter Wassily Kandinsky, and attributes the movement's associations of colors with shapes, and shapes with weight and sound to him and then goes on to continue to question the very ideas Kandinsky is proposing. Interactions like this between the movement and its founders show the maturing of the artistic style as it learns and grows.

The attention given to the shaping of Bauhaus takes one in contact with a variety of artists and ideas. One of my favorites was Weimar student and Dessau instructor Herbert Bayer's desire for democratization leading him to propose the elimination of capital letters, with the rather convincing line of dialogue "Why write in capital letters when you cannot speak in capital letters?" (page 87).

Grande references the rise of the Nazi party as a blindside to the movement, even though Bauhaus already experienced the effects of Germany's growing conservatism leading up to WWII. On page 94, Bauhaus notes that "it's the repetition of the farce that leads to tragedy. This ultimate showdown between abstractions and reality provides a halting look at the movement in relation to real-world politics.

In terms of its summarization of Bauhaus' lessons? Grande's quick quips of dialogues summarize it in a convenient and poetic way. On page 56, Bauhaus remarks on its departure from Weimar in 1925 with the line "...your freedom is frightening for them."

[Senzamargini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ormai compro diversi libri pensando ai miei eventuali alunni e alunne, perché sono alla costante ricerca di letture che potrebbero avvicinarli all'arte. Questa graphic novel secondo me è un'ottima soluzione: permette di toccare una parte di storia dell'arte che non sempre si riesce ad affrontare, per mancanza di tempo, al liceo; dá una visione più ampia sul contesto europeo e sulla Germania nazista; concede di capire quanto a volte prendere una posizione sia fondamentale; conferisce più consapevolezza sull'architettura, sull'arte e sul design contemporaneo. È veramente molto carina, e riassume sinteticamente, ma bene, le figure più di spicco del Bauhaus e la sua affascinante storia. Sono sicura che anche studenti e studentesse la apprezzerebbero tanto: ho fatto centro 🎯🌟

[Nathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the right cover for the book I read but it was titled A GRAPHIC NOVEL- BAUHAUS. I became familiar with Bauhaus through my husband who graduated in Art. This was a great way to introduce this art/architecture movement of the 30s. As I was looking up pictures about Bauhaus design, I was amazed at how familiar it is, though I must admit that most furniture, although of awesome design, doesn't look super comfortable! BAUHAUS, although a private institution, was shut down by the Nazi as rose to power. They were requiring them to join the Nazis and fire all Jews and foreigners from the school. The following sentence was chilling "I was a private institution. But they closed me down. Did they have the right to? No, but they had the power. "

[Aude · Rating 5 out of 5]

J’ai beaucoup aimé lire ce roman graphique, qui retrace l’histoire du Bauhaus, de Weimar à Berlin en passant par Dessau, de Walter Gropius à Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, en passant par Hannes Meyer. Les explications sont accessibles et mentionnent les nombreux•ses artistes ayant fait partie du Bauhaus : Paul Klee, Vassily Kandisky, Joseph et Anni Albers, Johannes Itten, Gunta Stölzl, Theo van Doesburg…
Il s’agit de comprendre le but de la création du Bauhaus, les visions différentes de ses trois directeurs, et de comment son développement s’est inscrit dans une Allemagne qui voyait grandir le national-socialisme.

J’ai adoré les graphiques et les couleurs !

Je recommande si le sujet vous intéresse (mais si vous êtes expert•e•s, je ne pense pas que vous apprendrez beaucoup de nouveautés).

[Peeter Talvistu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

It is probably good if you already know something about Bauhaus, because the background information is lacking and it seems to me that most of the time the reader is expected to know something beforehand about the history and the characters. The overall story is told from the perspective of the school (probably one of the only ways of having a central point of view), but it seems to me that the story is kind of unexciting and dry (I would even go as far as to say that the short essay after the comic is more passionate). The art also feels a bit too stiff and there is almost no playfulness (maybe p 56-57 and 62-63 are the most interesting).

Overall a nice addition to graphic novels about the history of art, but as a graphic novel it is a bit lacking.

[K De · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valentina Grande and Serfio Varbella's "Bauhaus. L'idea che ha cambiato il mondo" is written and drawn for a human perspective of the Bauhaus movement. The English translation is the version that I have read.

From Gropius to Mayer to Mies were the three heads of Bauhaus through the decades are very different in giving direction to Bauhaus. The narrative of the work is Bauhaus, itself, and there is a emphasis on the way men relegated women to the "Weaving" workshop. Although some of the instructors at Bauhaus did take some women to other workshops which better suited their talents.

This is a very good overview of Bauhaus from how the personalities of the head of the organization would shape the direction and relevence of what Bauhaus did and continues to have a impact on artists.

Well worth reading and contemplating upon the word - Bauhaus.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. What a weird little book. I’m not entirely sure that personifying the school itself into a main character works effectively as a literary device, but at least it was an interesting spin. The book is obviously translated into English, sentences are frequently stilted and there are a number of typos. My main complaint is that it says a lot without cohesively saying anything at all. Perhaps it’s more of a two star read after all…

[Marko8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always had a natural admiration and curiosity for bauhaus and I wasn't sure what type of art or style it was.

This graphic novel maintains the style and air of the bauhaus movement, which is quite revolutionary in the most dry way possible.

Very interesting to know all the main names in case I want to research them in the future and I found the story to the point.

I feel glad I read it and if you can withstand dryness try it out.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an English language version of this graphic novel, "Bauhaus." I have heard the term many times over the years, and this is the first explanation that made sense but also connected the dots and showed how the art movement is still influencing design today. If you are an art lover or history buffs, I highly recommend this book.

[Leah Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

A graphic history of Bauhuas told from the perpective of the philosophy itself. My only critique is I would have liked more thoughts or info on what IS the bauhaus philosophy. The majority of the book is about the founders with cameos of teachers and notable students. a quick read, but not a "fun" read.

[Ivy Shack · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really get it. I liked the concept of the school itself being the narrator, but I found it confused and was not very invested. Probably a fun little read for people who already know a lot about the Bauhaus. Not the comprehensive intro I was thinking it was.

I liked the homages to Bowie and more suprisingly Klaus Nomi!! I keep running into Nomi in my reading 🤔

[Artnoose McMoose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A graphic history of the Bauhaus movement. Beautifully illustrated story of the meaning behind the movement. I do, however think that since it’s not a straightforward history, it might be hard to follow along if you had no knowledge of the movement or that era of art history.

[Kamryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the art style, but I didn’t like the narrative angle taken. It also didn’t explain what Bauhaus was, actually, until the end - I wish it had been written into the narrative at the beginning of the graphic novel rather than as a text epilogue.

[Jonah Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this could have been a lot better - but the story of the Bauhaus is really cool so its whateva.

Just not a lot of specifics

Read this in a Bauhaus inspired house in cape cod so that was cool

[giduso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un ricordo della storia del Bauhaus attraverso il fumetto. Seppur in poche pagine, gli autori riescono a far emergere la potenza di un movimento rivoluzionario

[Henrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

[karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

xmas gift from b&d <3 :’) so enjoyed reading this- i finished it in one afternoon,, sitting by the sunset.

[Celena · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was cool