German - Architect | May 18, 1883 - July 5, 1969
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.
Walter Gropius
WorkGreatArtAimStructure
Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life, necessary for everyone in a civilized society.
LifeSocietyDesignIntellectual
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.
LifeCourageHistoryExperience
Specialists are people who always repeat the same mistakes.
MistakesPeopleSameAlwaysRepeat
Today the arts exist in isolation, from which they can be rescued only through the conscious, cooperative effort of all craftsmen. Architects, painters, and sculptors must recognize anew and learn to grasp the composite character of a building both as an entity and in its separate parts.
CharacterTodayEffortIsolation
Only work which is the product of inner compulsion can have spiritual meaning.
WorkSpiritualMeaningProductOnly
Wherever I go I make others feel good, and by doing this, I create life. I am a sting, and a dangerous instrument!
LifeGoodI AmFeel GoodFeelDoing
The greatest responsibility of the planner and architect, I believe, is the protection and development of our habitat.
ResponsibilityBelieveDevelopment
The strong desire to include every vital component of life instead of excluding part of them for the sake of too narrow and dogmatic an approach has characterized my whole life.
LifeStrongDesireWholeApproach
In all great epochs of history, the existence of standards - that is, the conscious adoption of type-forms - has been the criterion of a polite, well-ordered society; for it is a commonplace that repetition of the same things for the same purpose exercises a settling and civilizing influence on men's minds.
HistoryGreatMenPurposeSociety
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.
CommunityMeImportantNowAimHigh
Overwhelmed by the miraculous potentialities of the machine, our human greed has interfered with the biological cycle of human companionship which keeps the life of a community healthy.
LifeCommunityGreedHealthyHuman
Copyright © 2024 QuotesDict Walter Gropius quotes