Walter Gropius

Walter Gropius was the founder of the Weimar Bauhaus. He was only thirty-six years old when he reached the fame of one of the best architectures in Germany. Walter Gropius was born in Berlin on the 18th of May 1883. His family background was also related to architecture and many of his family members where famous for their architectural work and educational background. Gropius's father was an architect; his grandfather was a famous painter while his uncle designed the Berlin museum of arts and crafts.
Throughout the years, when Gropius founded the bauhaus to the pre-war years, Gropius changed his thinking about mechanisation. Maybe his experience in the war as a cavalry officer and destructive of power of the machines made Walter Gropius more optimistic about the benefits that we could get from mechanisation. Walter
Gropius's talent showed up early when he qualified in only five semesters. Walter studied in Munich and also in Berlin and after he qualified, he became the chief designer of the AEG in 1907. Alma Mohler was married to Walter Gropius in 1915 and within a year he had a daughter named Alma Monan. Gropius's wife helped him to reach his popularity and after their marriage he was put forward to becomes the leader of the Weimar Kunstgewerbeschule.
In those day the introduction of mechanisation had affected craftsmen in a bad way and this happened because many skilled traditional craftsmen's jobs were taken by machines of pass production. Walter Gropius delivered a paper to the Weimar authorities in January 1916 but the school was already closed and turned into a military hospital. Walter Gropius's paper was never taken seriously by the school authorities. In the paper Gropius wrote his view with a general examination of the way how pass production has caused a decline of the traditional craftsmanship. His idea was to propose the creation of a 'partnership' between artists, industrialists and technicians who might be in a position to replace all the factors of the old also known as individual work. The already trained craftsmen would go as students in the design school and improve their art under teacher's direction and after their tutorial they would return to the factories or workshops to use their new abilities.
After many writings to the authorities and reminding of the earlier negotiations, on the 12th April 1919, Gropius received the permission to re-open the school. In the same school, he became the chairman of the left-wing association of architects (working soviet art). The aim of this association was to involve creative people directly in the foraging of a new social order. Gropius was also a member of the artist's organisation in Berlin (Novembergruppe). Although Gropius was likely to sympathise with the social party, he wanted that the Bauhaus would be neutral. As a director, Gropius took care of the administration, securing funds, handling public relations and selecting stuff and students.
The directorship of the Bauhaus was everything for Walter Gropius not only just a regular job. Gropius also used to teach students privately but his interests towards the school never took the place of the Bauhaus.

Gropius founded the Bauhaus in Dessau, Germany.

Reference

Whitford, F., 1984. Bauhaus (world of art). 1st ed. London: The Thames & Hudson.

NS-Allen, 2010. The Origins of the Bauhaus/ Walter Gropius. [online] Available at: <http://www.designhistory.org/Bauhaus_pages/BauhausOrigins.html> [Accessed 1 November 2013].