Day 342 art meditation, August 24, 2023

Continuing the theme of Signs : I was so relieved to run into the movie - “Bauhaus”, based on the life of Alma Siedhoff-Buscher. It’s packed with themes I’m interested in - art, feminism, politics, expression, Germany, and it’s based on a true story.

‘Bauhaus’ is about Art, and the famous but short-lived Bauhaus Art School (1919-1933), the Bauhaus art movement, and the concepts of combining function, form and design. 

The 2-part series on PBS in my German mother tongue, and it’s beautiful to listen to.

It’s about a girl who does everything she can to get into this art school. When she secretly sends in her application, is accepted, and then shares with her father her happy news, and that she could still work for him part time, her father kicks her out of the house. (The large doses of patriarchy … there is more to be said …) Lotte’s father’s plan for her was for her to continue living at home, and work for his carpentry company. Even the sister wants Lotte to stay home and be the same. 

I am fascinated that Lotte’s character is based on a real woman, Alma Siedhoff-Buscher. I wonder how much of this script was written with today's mores in mind. I doubt that a sister of that era would have been able to observe or verbalize that Lotte “changed”. 

It’s about strict German parenting. Interesting that it isn’t triggering for me anymore.

Oh, this theme in our lives that Art isn’t practical enough. This is the most important topic of my life, and now that I’ve spent 35 years being practical to please everyone else, I’m going to follow my heart from now on. Come what may, with full on trusting the universe, and tons of work.

Lotte (Alma) takes her carpentry skills to the art school, and even at this progressive and experimental school, girls are only allowed to weave, not do carpentry. She argues her way past the rules, into the boy-filled carpentry studio and creates toy designs that are immediately commercially successful. (And I remember running into these same wood designs in a toy store I visited in Manhattan when I lived there.)

I love when the dots of my logo and life connect. Our souls leave breadcrumbs for each other…

The Bauhaus Art School was shut down because of pressure from the Nazis. This is before World War 2. We know how that story ended. That story is still continuing today - there are people who say yes to life, truth, love, expression and art, and people who want to be bullies, to dominate and shut thinking and exploring down. Ego vs. Heart…

I had one bigger Heart-moment ♥️ with this film : I saw Paul Klee’s name in the movie credits, and read later that he taught at Bauhaus for ten years. I’m SO grateful this film didn’t make him the center point of the film at all, though it might have been tempting to do so.

In my early 20’s I saw his art for the first time in a museum in Germany, and just loved it. And then I remembered that I read that Senga Nengudi - the artist I am writing and designing a Love Letter for -  had an inspirational moment in her early 20’s when SHE experienced the art of Paul Klee.  

!

This little Sign feeds my Calling towards Love Letters, which are already pregnant within me.

Maybe the character of Lotte, Alma Siedhoff-Buscher, will be one of my Love Letters. Alma managed to get her art in the world in spite of incredible odds. In any case, I do know that I want to continue to find obscure women artists who Created in spite of harsh circumstances.

With Love, Anne

🔴🟠🟡🟢🔵⚪️🟣 

Ⓒ 2023 Anne Hunsicker | All Lines Are Beautiful. All rights reserved.

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Article and Photo credit reference: ‘The Architectural Review’, May 12, 2021, “Alma Siedhoff-Buscher (1899-1944) https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/reputations/alma-siedhoff-buscher-1899-1944