Illustration: Deutsche Werkbund Exhibition, 1914.
Within the first few years of the twentieth century, certain aspects of German design was beginning to show signs that it was moving away from the formula of mainstream decorative styles, but perhaps more importantly, it was beginning to drift away from the precepts and philosophy of the Arts & Crafts movement, towards a more utilitarian form of design work.
Richard Riemerschmid was an early advocate for the concept that design should align itself much more closely with the world of manufacturing. He argued that the only way that well designed products could be produced at an affordable price was by the use and help of mass production. With this argument, Riemerschmid set himself squarely against the philosophy that had been adopted at an early stage and was headed by the English Arts and Crafts movement.
Many in Germany were convinced that the British were mistaken in their attitude of mistrust and antagonism towards industry, and that the Arts and Crafts movement, while having a worthwhile philosophy of hand made products for all, were in fact producing small amounts of very expensive goods purely for the wealthy consumer. The poorer and largest section of the community, while having the Arts & Crafts sympathy, were largely ignored by the movement.
The Deutscher Werkbund was founded in 1907 as an organisation that was to bind together both designer and manufacturer in a worthwhile relationship that was meant to be of benefit to both sides of the manufacturing equation, the creative and the profit led. Among the founding members were Richard Riemerschmid, Peter Behrens, Josef Maria Olbrich and Bruno Paul. However, also included were a number of manufacturers such as Poeschel & Trepte and Peter Bruckmann & Sohne. Interestingly, a number of design groups were included within the structure of the Deutscher Werkbund, incorporating such prestigious organizations as the Wiener Werkstatte and the Vereinigte Wekstatten fur Kunst im Handwerk.
Illustration: Deutscher Werkbund Yearbook, 1913.
In 1912, the Werkbund started to publish a yearbook that included a list of addresses and, perhaps more importantly, the various specialisations of its members, which by 1915 had reached nearly two thousand.
However, not all was harmonious within the Werkbund as the old issue of craftsmanship versus industrial production kept recurring, as not all members were convinced that mass production methods were compatible with the individual ideal of the craftsman. It was felt by some members that designers were having to make too many compromises in order to accommodate the machine.
By the end of the First World War, much of this debate had become irrelevant. By the start of the twentieth century, the explosion within the European consumer culture meant that the only way that supply could ever meet demand was through the standardisation and mass production of products.
In 1924, the Werkbund published Form ohne Ornament (Form without Function). This milestone publication praised industrially produced design work that showed brutally plain surfaces lacking in any form of ornamentation or decoration. The road was set irreversibly towards Functionalism.
The Deutscher Werkbund was closed down in 1934 by the Nazi party. However, by then it was far too late to stem the flow of contemporary design work and practises. The Nazis hoped to turn back the tide and dismantle Modernism, but what they saw as an aberration or an unfortunate fashion fad, was much deeper than they imagined. Modernism survived because it was a movement that was convinced that good design married to mass-production was the answer to affordable consumer goods for everyone, not just the few who could afford it. Interestingly the Nazi's, often more pragmatic than not, used Modernism and its ideals when it suited their needs.
When we consider the world we live in today. We all sit in front of our computers, but only because they are not hand crafted. They are mass-produced in order to make them available to everyone at an affordable price. We may well bemoan the situation we find ourselves in and the one we have willingly made for ourselves. We now live in a world where hand production is no longer the norm. We have become ensnared in the ever-tightening mesh of the consumer market. Many feel we have lost more than we have gained, but that is perhaps a prospect for future generations to analyze.
Further reading links:
The Werkbund: Design Theory and Mass Culture before the First World War
The German Werkbund: The Politics of Reform in the Applied Arts
German Design for Modern Living
German Design 1870-1918
German Modern: Graphic Design from Wilhelm to Weimar (Art Deco Design)
Masterpieces of German Design (Masterpieces of Design)
Towards Post-Modernism: Decorative Arts and Design Since 1851
Modernism in Design (Reaktion Books - Critical Views)
Modernism: Modernist Design 1880-1940 : The Norwest Collection, Norwest Corporation, Minneapolis
Modernism in Art, Design and Architecture
Henry Ford: Mass Production, Modernism and Design (Studies in Design and Material Culture)
Design in the Twentieth Century: Birth of Modernism (1900s-1910s)
Modernism: Designing a New World
Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius; Revised and Expanded Edition
