1920–1933: Oskar Schlemmer. Man in Geometry

Category: Art History / Bauhaus / Dance / Sculpture
Reading Time: 7 min

I. Introduction: The Homo Figurativus

Oskar Schlemmer (1888–1943) was one of the most radical thinkers and teachers at the Bauhaus. He viewed his work not merely as painting or sculpture but as a philosophical investigation of the human body in architectural and cosmic dimensions. While other Bauhaus masters focused on object design, Schlemmer explored the relationship between man and space as a pure, geometric form.

His vision was that of the Homo Figurativus – the human being who finds the essence of existence through mathematical order and dance.

![Oskar Schlemmer - From_The_stage_at_the_Bauhaus](https://femme-genesis.de/media/journal/gallery/originals/Oskar_Schlemmer_-_From_The_stage_at_the_Bauhaus_Die_Bueh

II. The Stage Workshop: Laboratory of the Body

Schlemmer led the Bauhaus Stage Workshop from 1921 to 1929, transforming it into a laboratory for kinetic and performative art. He taught that space is not empty but an active medium that interacts with the body.

He reduced the human figure to elementary geometric forms—sphere, cube, cylinder—to emphasize its universal significance. The costumes for his performances were often sculptural, deliberately hindering the dancers’ natural movements to force them to concentrate on pure form. This was a direct critique of the psychological subjectivity found in Expressionism.

“The stage is the metaphysics of modern art.”

— Oskar Schlemmer

III. The Triadic Ballet: The Synthesis of Arts

Schlemmer’s masterpiece is The Triadic Ballet (1922), which represents a synthesis of dance, costume, and music.

• Triadic (Threefold): It consists of 3 acts, 3 dancers (one woman, two men), and 12 dances.
• Form: The costumes transformed the dancers into “walkable sculptures.” They were made of cardboard, metal, and wood, emphasizing mechanical, rhythmic movement instead of emotional expression.

The ballet was a profoundly speculative work about the mechanization of man in the industrial age and the search for spiritual order through geometric precision.

IV. Painting and Sculpture: The Architecture of the Face

Schlemmer continued these themes in his painting. His canvases depict stylized, often faceless figures embedded in architectural grids and colored planes (e.g., Bauhaus Stairway). The lack of individual features turns the figures into universal archetypes.

He created a space where rationality and mysticism coexisted. Faces are often obscured by masks, pointing to the alienation of modern man and the need for a new, universal social form.

V. Conclusion: The Utopian Educator

Schlemmer was a utopian educator who believed that art could heal society by teaching the harmony between body and cosmos. His stage was an attempt to transform the human figure into a timeless, universal constant. His work remains influential for understanding the embodiment of abstraction and 20th-century performance art.