Gunta Stölzl

Wall hanging "Slit Tapestry Red/Green" 1927/28

 Although I had heard of the Bauhaus before, it wasn’t until I took a Graphic Design history course that I learned about the work of Gunta Stölzl. 

Although Stölzl did not work with textiles before coming to the Bauhaus, the administration put women in the textile department regardless of inclination or prior training. With limited resources and support, Stölzl managed to take the textile department of the Bauhaus and turn it into a place where innovative, avant–garde, experimental textile designs were made. Stolzl studied with Johannes Itten, Kandinsky and others, incorporating what she learned about new art and design theories into her tapestries. Stölzl was the only woman in the Bauhaus to earn the title of “Master”–a title which she wrote on her Bauhaus identification card after crossing out the word “student”!

Stölzl’s early work is a delight to look at. Small watercolors, sketches and drawings of 

places that she visited. Detailed and rich in color, a clear connection to her tapestries.

Handknotted carpet, 1923, "Gesellenarbeit"

Gunta's design for a toy animal made of fabric, made for the Bauhaus booth at a craft fair in 1920.

A sketch from Gunta's early period (1915–1919). In the lower left it says: 
'Reichenhall Ostern 17' What attracts me to her work is her ability to capture 
her external and internal experiences and emotions in colors and forms.

Sources for more information about Gunta Stölzl:

 http://www.guntastolzl.org/

Stölzl, Gunta. “Die Entwicklung der Bauhaus Weberei (The Development of the Bauhaus

Weaving Workshop),” Bauhaus Journal July 1931.

Stölzl, Gunta, “Weaving at the Bauhaus,” Bauhaus journal “Offset” No. 7 1926.

Cantz, Hatje. Gunta Stölzl : Bauhaus master. Museum of Modern Art. New York: Ostfildern, 2009.

Arnason, H. H. History of Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Photography. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc, 2004