Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and the Bauhaus

The famed German architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, helped pioneer Modern architecture in Western Europe at the Bauhaus and, due to Germany’s slide toward nationalism and militaristic behavior, in Chicago between the wars.  Mies, along with Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier, established a new architectural style that they felt best represented modern times.  Mies’ style is characterized by extreme clarity of formal expression and simplicity.  His designs called for the use of modern materials, such as steel and plate glass, to define both the external and internal spaces.  Mies sought minimal structural order as he strove to achieve a maximum of free-flowing open spaces.  He liked to refer to his designs as “skin and bones”.  One of his famous aphorisms is “less is more”.  What are your thoughts on Mies and his architecture designs within the context of defining Modernity between and after and do you agree that “less is more”?

Photo of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona Pavilion (reconstructed 1999)