A modern building should derive its architectural significance solely from the vigour and consequence of its own organic proportions. It must be true to itself, logically transparent, and virginal of lies or trivialities.
Walter GropiusRead
The ultimate aim of all artistic activity is building! ... Architects, sculptors, painters, we must all get back to craft! ... The artist is a heightened manifestation of the craftsman. ... Let us form ... a new guild of craftsmen without the class divisions that set out to raise an arrogant barrier between craftsmen and artists! ... Let us together create the new building of the future which will be all in one: architecture and sculpture and painting.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art should focus on craftsmanship and collaboration among different disciplines.
Walter Gropius emphasizes that the true goal of artistic endeavors is to create and build, advocating for a return to the fundamentals of craft across disciplines like architecture, sculpture, and painting. He envisions a harmonious future where artists and craftsmen work together, free from class distinctions, to develop integrated works that embody the spirit of collaboration and innovation in art.
Themes
ArtCraftCollaborationBuildingCreativityCommunity
In practice
Example use cases
In an art workshop discussing the importance of craftsmanship, this quote can inspire participants.
More from Walter Gropius
All quotes →The utilization of flat roofs as 'grounds' offers us a means of re-acclimatizing nature amidst the stony deserts of our great towns; for the plots from which she has been evicted to make room for buildings can be given back to her up aloft.
Walter GropiusRead
Architecture begins where engineering ends.
Walter GropiusRead
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.
Walter GropiusRead
Good architecture should be a projection of life itself, and that implies an intimate knowledge of biological, social, technical, and artistic problems.
Walter GropiusRead
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.
Walter GropiusRead
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