Hendrik Petrus Berlage

Hendrik Petrus Berlage was born in 1856, in Amsterdam. He studied under Semper during the 1870s and after travelled all of Europe. “In both his writings and architectural practice, Berlage advocated a return to simplicity of form and clarity of structure.” Hendrik Petrus Berlage was one of the most significant European architects before World War I. He was to many considered the father of modern architecture in the Netherlands. 

Hendrik Petrus Berlage influenced many other famous dutch architects including Gerrit Rietvield, Mies van der Rohe, and J.J.P. Oud. Berlage transitioned from the historical styles of the 19th century into a modern style based on new styles and theories. In his early work, his style reflected the Dutch Renaissance, but the later Berlage rejected the historical style and focused on innovative forms. He focused on making the exterior of the building express the function of the interior rather than ornament and decoration. 

    

The building above is Beurs van Berlage. It is in Damrak, which is in the center of Amsterdam. Designed as a commodity exchange, Beurs van Berlage was constructed between 1896 to 1903. It’s influence reached out to many modernist architects of the time, especially functionalists and the Amsterdam School. One of the great innovations of this building was its sweeping planes and open plan. It uses a proportional grid of triangular prisms that correspond with the exterior. 

The career of Berlage can be divided into three different periods: “from 1878 to 1903, his early work through the completion of the Amsterdam Exchange; 1903 to 1919, his mature period through the termination of his work for the Kroller-Muller family; and his late work from 1920 to 1934, when he turns to Cubist forms.” 

This building is one of Berlage’s works called the Gemmentemuseum Den Haag. It is a art museum located in The Hague, Netherlands. Built in 1931, the museum features cubic prisms working together to form geometric forms that contrast historical design. After the 1920s, his work began to favor these forms. The best example of this is Berlage’s first church of christ. 

Much of his work drew inspiration from Gottfried Semper and Viollet-le-duc. “He admired the organic harmony and holistic creativity of great architecture.” Berlage believed that facades should be used to shape useful spaces rather than decorative facades. Berlage was one of the first to declare an appreciation for American architects like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. These two had a large affect on Berlages use of geometry and form in his designs.

Hendrik Petrus Berlage. (2011). Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 1.

Russo, F. (1999). A mecca for modernists. Atlantic Monthly (10727825), 283(2), 26-38.