Bauhaus and Beats

Today's class involving the Bauhaus movement before WWII and the beat after the war gave an insight on the new world of art emerging. The Bauhaus movement was about creating art but making it functional. New chairs, tables, lamps and architecture were created that look almost like what Ikea is currently selling. Thinking back on my trip to Ikea this past weekend, the tables seen in the documentary and the those in the store were exactly the same. Therefore I guess my desire for simplistic design and organization is inspired from the artist of Bauhaus. The shapes and colors are simple and yet the way they are put together for furniture allows for more storage. To me it seems odd that a store like Ikea didn't emerge sooner.
Meanwhile, the beats were the artists that were worn down and tired. They felt the after shock of the war and failed to be part of the American dream. I wonder if these artists generally didn't like the idea of the American dream or just failed at their attempts to be apart of the "normal" life. Although they created wonderful and bizarre pieces of art, it makes you feel sympathetic towards them since they seem like they never fit with others. The abstract expressionist work done after the war also create a new world. Colors and shapes replaced words and the works of Jackson Pollock and others speak for themselves. Jackson Pollock's works allow the viewer to create their own vision and world of what the art is trying to say, meanwhile it isn't saying anything. I love the theory of action painting. Passion and emotion of the artist are blended in the canvas itself, like the paint placed on it.