Bauhaus Building, Dessau, 1925-1926: View from the west during construction 1925 - 1926

Curator: I’m struck by the almost austere lines of this photograph of the Bauhaus Building in Dessau, taken during its construction between 1925 and 1926. It’s like a manifesto captured in silver gelatin. Editor: It does feel quite stark, doesn't it? There's a sense of both utopian aspiration and… well, a kind of cold functionality. I wonder, was this image consciously trying to convey the Bauhaus ethos of rationality and simplicity? Curator: I think so. The extensive use of glass suggests transparency and a connection between the inside and outside, reflecting the Bauhaus goal of integrating art, technology, and everyday life. But beyond the functional, the building became a potent symbol of modernism's radical break from historical styles. Editor: And that radicalism wasn't just aesthetic; it was also deeply political. The Bauhaus was pushing for a new social order through design. This image, then, becomes a document of that ambition, showing us more than just a building under construction. It is a moment of great change. Curator: Precisely, and what endures for me is how powerfully this image continues to symbolize the ideals of functionalism and the belief in architecture as a tool for social progress. Editor: Yes, seeing the Bauhaus in its infancy reminds us of the potent symbolism embedded even in architectural photography, reflecting the zeitgeist it inhabited.