Walter Gropius Quotes

German - Architect May 18, 1883 - July 5, 1969

Let us together create the new building of the future, which will be everything in one form: architecture and sculpture and painting.

Future Painting Together Architecture Building Create Everything Form Let Us New Sculpture Us Which Will

We are in the midst of a momentous catastrophe of world history, of a transformation of all aspects of life and of the entire inner human being This is perhaps fortunate for the artistic person, if he is strong enough to bear the consequences, because what we need is the courage to have inner experience.

Architecture begins where engineering ends.

Architecture Engineering Where Begins Ends

Only work which is the product of inner compulsion can have spiritual meaning.

Work Spiritual Only Meaning Compulsion Inner Product Which

Specialists are people who always repeat the same mistakes.

People Who Always Mistakes Repeat Same Mistakes Specialists Same

The general public, formerly profoundly indifferent to everything to do with building, has been shaken out of its torpor; personal interest in architecture as something that concerns every one of us in our daily lives has been very widely aroused; and the broad line of its future development are already clearly discernible.

Our fresh technical resources have furthered the disintegration of solid masses of masonry into slender piers, with consequent far-reaching economies in bulk, space, weight, and haulage.

Space Fresh Our Masses Bulk Consequent Disintegration Economies Masonry Resources Slender Solid Technical Weight

One of the outstanding achievements of the new constructional technique has been the abolition of the separating function of the wall.

New Been Outstanding Wall Abolition Achievements Function Separating Technique Has-Been

New synthetic substances - steel, concrete, glass - are actively superseding the traditional raw materials of construction.

New Construction Glass Steel Actively Concrete Materials Raw Raw Materials Substances Synthetic Traditional

Top 10
Walter Gropius
Quotes

The mere drawing and painting world of the pattern designer and the applied artist must become a world that builds again.

World Painting Drawing Artist Again Applied Builds Designer Mere Pattern Become Must

Architects, sculptors painters, we all must return to the crafts! For art is not a 'profession.' There is no essential difference between the artist and the craftsman. The artist is an exalted craftsman.

Art Artist Must Difference Architects Between Crafts Craftsman Essential Exalted Painters Profession Return

Together let us desire, conceive, and create the new structure of the future, which will embrace architecture and sculpture and painting in one unity and which will one day rise toward Heaven from the hands of a million workers like the crystal symbol of a new faith.

The ultimate, if distant, aim of the Bauhaus is the unified work of art - the great structure - in which there is no distinction between monumental and decorative art.

Work Art Great Aim Between Decorative Distant Distinction Monumental Structure Ultimate Unified Which

The school is the servant of the workshop and will one day be absorbed in it. Therefore there will be no teachers or pupils in the Bauhaus but masters, journeymen, and apprentices.

Day Will School Teachers Absorb Masters One Day Pupils Servant Therefore Workshop

I feel very German - and who can make himself a judge over what is German and what is not - in my ideas and the ideas of my spiritual brothers of German origin.

Spiritual Feel Who Ideas Brothers German Himself Judge Origin I Feel Make Over Very

As there is in Germany - as well as in Russia and Italy - no art which is not approved of by the government, any criticizing remark about the present policy made by me would easily be taken as a hostile act. I cannot have my name put up against an official report from Germany without risking very unpleasant consequences.

With but a few exceptions, we don't have this personal study under masters any more. Craftsmanship has sunk very low. We no longer have any universally creative persons who are able to guide young learners not only in technical matters but also, at the same time, in a formal way.

We must forget the prewar time, which was totally different. The sooner we adjust ourselves to the new, changed world, to its new, albeit harsh, beauties, the sooner will each individual be able to find his own personal happiness. The distress of Germany will spiritualize and deepen us.

My sole aim is to leave everything in suspension, in flux, in order to avoid our community solidifying into a conventional academy. Our initial resources may be few, but our spirits are high, receptive, and excited, and that seems to me to be the most important thing right now.

The days of the painter at the Bauhaus appear to be truly over. They are estranged from the actual core of present activities, and their influence is more restricting than inspiring.

Influence More Present Days Activities Actual Appear Core Inspiring Painter Restricting Truly Over Than

If we investigate the vague feelings of the average man towards the arts, we find that he is timid and that he has developed a humble belief that art is something which has been invented centuries ago in countries like Greece or Italy and that all we can do about it is study it carefully and apply it.

Each person feels that he is an 'expert' in one or two fields and just the 'public' in all the others. But you know, probably, from experience that no one is really able to appreciate any display of ability in any field if he himself has not, to a certain degree, taken part in its problems and difficulties at some time.

Capitalism and power politics have made our generation creatively sluggish, and our vital art is mired in a broad bourgeois philistinism.

Art Politics Power Capitalism Bourgeois Broad Creatively Generation Mired Our Generation Sluggish Vital Made Our

The fear that individuality will be crushed out by the growing 'tyranny' of standardization is the sort of myth which cannot withstand the briefest examination.

Fear Will Tyranny Cannot Crushed Examination Growing Individuality Myth Sort Standardization Withstand Out Which

Good architecture should be a projection of life itself, and that implies an intimate knowledge of biological, social, technical, and artistic problems.

Life Good Knowledge Architecture Artistic Biological Implies Intimate Itself Problems Projection Social Technical Should

Under trees, the urban dweller might restore his troubled soul and find the blessing of a creative pause.

Soul Blessing Pause Creative Might Restore Trees Troubled Urban Find His

The greatest responsibility of the planner and architect, I believe, is the protection and development of our habitat.

Believe Responsibility Protection Our Architect Development Greatest Habitat Planner I Believe

The ultimate aim of all creative activity is the building!

Aim Building Creative Activity Ultimate

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