Anni Albers (1899-1994), weaver, printmaker, and writer, began her studies at the Bauhaus in 1922, and she soon became a leading figure in the weaving workshop there. Leaving Germany in 1933 when the Bauhaus closed under the pressure of Nazi power, Albers permanently moved to America and began teaching at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. Here, she headed her own weaving workshop, which was based on Bauhaus pedagogy. In 1935 she visited Mexico for the first of twelve times; she visited Peru and Chile in 1953. With each trip to Latin America, she developed an increased interest in the weavings of the ancient Americas. From the mid-1930s to the early 1960s, she allowed aspects of ancient textiles to figure into her own weavings, and she described her admiration for ancient weaving cultures in her numerous writings. Looking at the environments in which Albers worked, I situate her weavings and writings in the intellectual atmospheres of the Bauhaus, Black Mountain College, and her independent studies and travels in the Americas. Doing so reveals the complexity of her personal philosophy on art, which ultimately derived from the Bauhaus, and united art, craft, and design though universalism. Her weavings and writings from 1924 to 1966 reflect this art philosophy. Looking at the formal aspects of her wall hangings and analyzing her writings, I outline the extent of Albers's understanding of the theories proposed by intellectuals sharing her milieu, in particular Wilhelm Worringer (1881-1965). I show Albers borrowed aspects of his theories; however, I do not claim that she strictly adhered to Worringer's ideas. Instead, she deviates from them to emphasize characteristics unique to her medium of weaving and its history based in craft technique. This thesis begins by establishing Albers's understanding of geometric abstraction through the Bauhaus. I investigate claims that she was indebted to Worringer's Abstraction and Empathy: A Contribution to the Psychology of Style (1908), which she and others likely read at the Bauhaus. Worringer's argument put forward a way to link ancient and modern art through a shared psychic state, characterized by feelings of chaos and the need for order, which he believed was manifested as geometric designs. My study shows that Worringer offered Albers one way to relate the textiles of the ancient past to her modern weavings, but that she also found other connections after her move to the United States. After 1933 she became increasingly devoted to the textiles of ancient America. This is confirmed by her use of Peruvian textile constructions, her collection of ancient American textiles, and her discussions of these weaving cultures in her writings. Additionally, Albers encountered other artists working in North and South America who likewise sought to apply abstractions from ancient American art to modernism. I compare works by Joaquín Torres-García (1874-1949), Adolph Gottlieb (1903-1974), and Shelia Hicks (1934-) to show a pan-American desire to find indigenous roots applicable to the modern day through universalism. These different avenues of Albers's work, her Bauhaus education, study of Peruvian weavings, and dialogue with contemporary pan-American sources of universalism, point to her underlying belief that art was successful if it communicated a universal appeal and timelessness. In integrating Albers's weavings and writings in relation to her philosophy, I demonstrate the extent to which her art and writings engage intellectually and stylistically with modernism. This thesis contributes to the scholarship where previous studies of Albers have not thoroughly acknowledged her participation in the discourse of modern art through her use of modernist ideals, theories, and writings. I provide a unique intellectual history of a weaver's work that shows how theoretical foundations equate her weavings and writings with vanguardism. Using a language belonging to the plastic arts, she removed false divisions between art media and advanced her concept of universalism by creating a link between ancient craft and modern art. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Art History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Spring Semester, 2012. / March 22, 2012. / Albers, Bauhaus, Black Mountain College, Pre-Columbian, Textiles, Weaving / Includes bibliographical references. / Karen A. Bearor, Professor Directing Thesis; Adam Jolles, Committee Member; Michael D. Carrasco, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_185061 |
| Contributors | Glover, Christina (authoraut), Bearor, Karen A. (professor directing thesis), Jolles, Adam (committee member), Carrasco, Michael D. (committee member), Department of Art History (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
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