The
Precourse, as developed by
Johannes Itten and continued by others after his leaving, belonged to the basic pedagogical institutions of education at the
Bauhaus. Preceding the actual lessons, it was to mediate the basics of
material properties,
composition and
color theory.
The center of the course was to recognize and design
contrasts, that have been implemented using the most varying forms and materials, natural materials and their textures as well as free plasic forms. Special care was given to the
interaction of two given elements. To Itten, contrast between light and dark was one of the most important and most expressive means of design.
Another focal point were the studies of materials, during which contrasting properties of the material were to be assembled three-dimensionally or illustrated graphically in a sensually experiencable way.
The properties of abstract graphical elements were explored using "stripe studies". To Itten, the
Circle meant
movement, the
Square calmness, and the
Triangle contained strong directional contrasts. These properties were emphasized in drawings or neutralized through correlative layout.
Nature studies were aimed at realizing and drawing objects in their
hue and/or characteristic form either in front of the models or by memory: the studies were to be designed from within your inner experiences of the real objects. These depictions often deceptively matched the material properties of the original models. "Analysen alter Meister" (analysing old masters), together with exploration of
contrast,
form and
color, served the sensual realization of form, color and the dynamics of a piece of art.
The most popular tool of design was
charcoal, that allowed finest nuances in color and whose flexibility was fully utilized by the scholars. Next to this many different three-dimensional structures and collages have been produced during theses courses.
source: bauhaus.de