Berlage, Hendrick Petrus

Berlage was born into a rich, liberal-minded family living on the embankment of the Keizersgracht canal ( Dutch: Keizersgracht ) in the very center of Amsterdam. A few years later, the Berlage family moved to Arnhem , where Hendrick received secondary school education. During the Arnhem period of the life of the future architect, his mother died, and his father remarried.

During the year, Hendrik Petrus attended painting courses at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam, but then architecture became the subject of his interests. From 1875 to 1878, Berlage studied at the Swiss Higher Technical School in Zurich , where he got acquainted with the ideas of Gottfried Semper , professor of architecture of this educational institution from 1855 to 1871 , and the concept of an “ideal home” by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc . In order to deepen his theoretical knowledge, in 1880 - 1881, Hendrik Berlage traveled to several European countries, visiting Italy , Austria and Germany .

Upon his return to the Netherlands, Berlag, together with Theodorus Sanders ( Dutch: Theodorus Sanders ), founded the architectural bureau in Amsterdam. Together with Sanders, they designed a number of buildings in the Neo - Renaissance style.

In 1889, Berlage began independent work, opening his own architectural bureau. Initially, he followed the architectural styles that prevailed at that time, but then he began to experiment, mixing elements of modernity and rationalism in his projects. One of the fruits of these experiments was the decoration of the buildings of the Netherlands Insurance Company, which Berlage was invited to work on as a designer in the 1890s . Around the same time, the architect created designs for Villa Henny in The Hague and the building of the Diamond Cutters Syndicate in Amsterdam ( 1899-1900 ). Already in 1889, he presented the original project of the mausoleum at the World Exhibition in Paris ^[5] . Numerous Berlage publications in publications on architecture belong to the same period.

In 1897 - 1903, the building of the Amsterdam Exchange (now called the Berlage Exchange), the most famous creation of the architect, included by UNESCO in the Dutch World Heritage List ^[6], was built according to the project of Hendrik Petrus Berlage. In his project, Berlage harmoniously combined the medieval traditions of national Dutch architecture with modern technical solutions. Characteristic differences in the style of the building are the “honest” use of materials (all materials must be easily recognizable) and the clarity of the design, devoid of unnecessary decorations. The main building material is unplastered brick, combined with natural light stone. The style in which the Amsterdam Exchange is built will later become known as rationalism . The influence of this style will be felt in Dutch architecture until the 50s of the twentieth century ^[5] .

Berlage is the author of a number of large-scale urban development projects. So, in 1902 he developed plans for the expansion of Amsterdam (the southern part of the city had to be completely reconstructed, and the slum areas were to be replaced with economical houses for the working class ^[7] ), the reconstruction of The Hague ( 1908 - 1909 ) and Utrecht ( 1921 ). His projects assumed a harmonious connection between the historic city center and new areas, which were planned to be built up in block houses of small height, and which would form clear prospects.

A feature of Berlage's style was a functional approach to the design of buildings using concise, but very aesthetic details. In addition to the actual architectural projects, Berlage was also engaged in the design of furniture, the design of wallpaper, carpets and glassware. Berlage furniture was sold in the Het Binnenhuis Amsterdam store, which specialized in the sale of applied art in the Dutch Art Nouveau style ^[8] .

Berlage defended the concept of "beauty of a naked wall." In one of the lectures, he defines his architectural creed as follows:

In 1911, Berlage visited the United States . This visit and acquaintance with the works of Frank Lloyd Wright , Henry Hobson Richardson , Louis Sullivan had a significant impact on his future work ^[5] .

The most significant buildings of Berlage include (besides the Amsterdam Stock Exchange) the building of the Syndicate of Diamond Cutters in Amsterdam ( 1899 - 1900 ), the Municipal Museum in The Hague ( 1916 - 1934 , construction was completed after the death of the architect), Holland House in London ( 1914 ). Among his main works is also mentioned the hunting lodge “Saint Hubert”, made in the form of deer horns, and inside it is decorated as an enfilade of rooms, each of which is lit up more strongly than the previous one, which in aggregate refers to the legend about this saint , and also echoes the popular in modernity the motto “from darkness to light” ^[8] .

Berlage adhered to socialist convictions, which was manifested in his architecture. In 1929, Berlage visited the USSR and soon after the trip joined the Communist Party of the Netherlands. Berlage's socialist views led him to the idea of ​​"public art" ( Dutch Gemeenschapskunst ), expressed in the joint work of representatives of various art forms on works intended to bring public benefit ^[5] .

Berlage's activities had a huge impact on the modern architecture of the Netherlands. Among his followers are the Modern Movement in the Netherlands (De Stil Group) and the Amsterdam School .

In honor of Berlage , the Berlage Institute, founded in 1990 , is a higher educational institution and a research institute dealing with architecture and design. Also named after him is Berlage impact crater on the far side of the moon ^[9] .

• “Thoughts on the style in architecture” ( 1905 ).
• "Fundamentals of architecture and its development" ( 1908 ).
• "The development of modern architecture in the Netherlands" ( 1925 ).
• “The Relationship Between State and Architecture,” a report at the First Congress of CIAM ( 1928 ).
• "The essence of architecture and its history" ( 1934 ).

• Goryunov. V.S., Tubli M.P. Architecture of the Modern Age Concept. Directions. Masters. - St. Petersburg: Stroyizdat, St. Petersburg branch, 1992. - p.: Ill. ISBN 5-274-01384-8 .

• Site dedicated to the life and work of H.P. Berlage (English) (German)
• Berlage, Hendrik Petrus in the online encyclopedia " Around the World "