I have always been fond of scenography and theatre. When I learned about Oskar Schlemmer, I became very interested in him and therefore want to write about him and his work.
Oskar Schlemmer
The Bauhaus Master of Multimedia Design
Oskar Schlemmer (1888 – 1943) was a German painter, sculptor, designer and choreographer associated with the Bauhaus school. In 1923 he was hired as Master of Form at the Bauhaus theatre workshop, after working some time at the workshop of sculpture.
The Bauhaus school demanded versatility from their Masters. Founder Walter Gropius: architect, industrial designer, etc. László Moholy-Nagy: photographer, filmmaker, etc. Herbert Bayer: graphic designer, typographer, etc. But few of them also incorporated music, theater, and dance, and none as astutely and dynamically as Schlemmer.
Oskar Schlemmer was already a painter, sculptor, and muralist when Gropius hired him. His work for the Bauhaus and his preoccupation with the theatre are an important factor in his work, which deals mainly with the problematic of the figure in space. People, typically stylised faceless female figures, continued to be the predominant subject in his painting. Once at the Weimar Bauhaus, and then on through Dessau, he expanded his media repertoire far beyond the two- and three-dimensional. He taught multidisciplinary classes that integrated kinetic motion studies, figure drawing, and philosophy. And Der Mensch, the human being, was always at the core of his instruction.
In 1922 Schlemmer achieved international fame with his three-act Triadisches Ballett in Stuttgart. It was revolutionary as well as a reflection of Europe’s postwar preoccupation with technology: much more a geometric exploration of time and space than any traditional dance form. And he controlled all facets of production: costumes, stage sets, lighting, music, choreography, promo posters, etc. The result was a complete, cohesively designed package: an avant-garde tour de force that continues to inspire theater and fashion as well as videos and other arts.
If you’ve seen Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance or New Order’s True Faith—with their eccentric costumes and mechanical movements—then you’ve had a taste of this Bauhaus Master’s multimedia design aesthetic, as both music videos are contemporary takes on his famous Triadic Ballet.
Oskar Schlemmer (1888 – 1943) was a German painter, sculptor, designer and choreographer associated with the Bauhaus school. In 1923 he was hired as Master of Form at the Bauhaus theatre workshop, after working some time at the workshop of sculpture. The Bauhaus school demanded versatility from their Masters. Founder Walter Gropius: architect, industrial designer, etc. László Moholy-Nagy: photographer, filmmaker, etc. Herbert Bayer: graphic designer, typographer, etc. But few of them also incorporated music, theater, and dance, and none as astutely and dynamically as Schlemmer.
Oskar Schlemmer was already a painter, sculptor, and muralist when Gropius hired him. His work for the Bauhaus and his preoccupation with the theatre are an important factor in his work, which deals mainly with the problematic of the figure in space. People, typically stylised faceless female figures, continued to be the predominant subject in his painting. Once at the Weimar Bauhaus, and then on through Dessau, he expanded his media repertoire far beyond the two- and three-dimensional. He taught multidisciplinary classes that integrated kinetic motion studies, figure drawing, and philosophy. And Der Mensch, the human being, was always at the core of his instruction.
In 1922 Schlemmer achieved international fame with his three-act Triadisches Ballett in Stuttgart. It was revolutionary as well as a reflection of Europe’s postwar preoccupation with technology: much more a geometric exploration of time and space than any traditional dance form. And he controlled all facets of production: costumes, stage sets, lighting, music, choreography, promo posters, etc. The result was a complete, cohesively designed package: an avant-garde tour de force that continues to inspire theater and fashion as well as videos and other arts.
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