Architecture of the Netherlands

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View of the Carambei Historical Park mill and houses in Dutch architecture on the left Moinho Parque Historico Carambei.jpg
View of the Carambeí Historical Park mill and houses in Dutch architecture on the left

Dutch architecture has played an important role in the international discourse on architecture in three eras. The first of these was during the 17th century, when the Dutch empire was at the height of its power. The second was in the first half of the 20th century, during development of modernism. The third is not concluded and involves many contemporary Dutch architects who are achieving global prestige.

Contents

Examples

Renaissance and Baroque

The Vleeshal in Haarlem, dating from 1603 Haarlem Vleeshal1.jpg
The Vleeshal in Haarlem, dating from 1603

The Dutch Golden Age roughly spanned the 17th century. [1] Due to the thriving economy, cities expanded greatly. New town halls and storehouses were built, and many new canals were dug out in and around various cities such as Delft, Leiden, and Amsterdam for defense and transport purposes. Many wealthy merchants had new houses built along these canals. These houses were generally very narrow and had ornamented façades that befitted their new status. In the countryside, new country houses were built, though not in the same numbers.

Of Italian Renaissance architecture, primarily visual characteristics such as pillars, pilasters, pediments, and rustication were adopted, since many Dutch architects were unable to read the theoretical substantiation, which was often written down in Italian or Latin. Horizontal lines were emphasized, contrasting with the vertical emphasis of Gothic architecture. For instance, light-coloured bands were embedded into facades to emphasize this horizontal character. Another common application in Dutch Renaissance architecture, particularly in Amsterdam, was the stepped gable, which was meant to hide the diagonal lines of the gable behind the straight lines of the façade. [2]

The architecture of the first republic in Northern Europe was marked by sobriety and restraint, and was meant to reflect democratic values by quoting extensively from classical antiquity. It found its impetus in the designs of Hendrick de Keyser, who was instrumental in establishing a Venetian-influenced style into early 17th-century architecture through new buildings like the Noorderkerk ("Northern church", 1620–1623) and Westerkerk ("Western church", 1620–1631) in Amsterdam. In general, architecture in the Low Countries, both in the Counter-Reformation-influenced south and Protestant-dominated north, remained strongly invested in northern Italian Renaissance and Mannerist forms that predated the Roman High Baroque style of Borromini and Bernini. Instead, the more austere form practiced in the Dutch Republic was well suited to major building patterns: palaces for the House of Orange and new civic buildings, uninfluenced by the Counter-Reformation style that made some headway in Antwerp.

Town Hall of Amsterdam, built in 1665 Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam.jpg
Town Hall of Amsterdam, built in 1665

The major exponents of the mid-17th century, Jacob van Campen and Pieter Post, [3] adopted de Keyser's forms for such eclectic elements as giant-order pilasters, gable roofs, central pediments, and vigorous steeples. Brought together in a coherent combination, these stylistic developments anticipated Wren's Classicism. The most ambitious constructions of the period included the seats of self-government in Amsterdam (1646) and Maastricht (1658), designed by Campen and Post, respectively. On the other hand, the residences of the House of Orange are closer to a typical burgher mansion than to a royal palace. Two of these, Huis ten Bosch and Mauritshuis, are symmetrical blocks with large windows, stripped of ostentatious Baroque flourishes. The same austerely geometrical effect is achieved without great cost or pretentious effects at the stadholder's summer residence of Het Loo.

Another of the designs used by the Dutch was the use of warm colors such as red or dark orange. They also were roughly textured and had tended to be darkened due to the rough texturing. The use of architectural symmetrical balance was part of their habits as well.

Modernism

Rietveld Schroder House (1924), designed by Gerrit Rietveld Rietveld-SchroderhuisUtrechttheNetherlands.jpg
Rietveld Schröder House (1924), designed by Gerrit Rietveld

During the 20th century, Dutch architects like Berlage, Van Doesburg, Van Eesteren, Rietveld, Oud and Van der Vlugt played a leading role in the development of modern architecture in the Netherlands, as well as internationally. [4] [5]

Crucial for the development of modern architecture in the Netherlands has been the work of Hendrik Petrus Berlage, architect of the Beurs van Berlage. He propagated Rationalist architecture, while simultaneously embracing craftsmanship. [6] Berlage has also received critical acclaim for Plan Zuid, an urban plan for Amsterdam-Zuid, [7] which became a model for social housing developments in the Netherlands and abroad. [8] Berlage inspired different movements, and different groups and schools were established accordingly, during the 1910s-1930s, each with their own view on which direction modern architecture should take.

Several cross-connections existed between the schools and movements, as can be observed in the work of Willem Dudok; some of his designs have traditionalist features, while others are landmarks of functionalism. In the (late) 1930s, various modern architects advocated a return to (certain) traditional artistic principles, instead of following a machine aesthetics, among them J.J.P Oud and Sybold van Ravesteyn, [12] although the reverse happened as well, especially in the 1950s-1960s (e.g. J.F. Berghoef [13] ). The different movements and schools, together with their disputes, would inform the development of Dutch architecture in the second half of the 20th century, [14] which also witnessed the emergence of new (modern) movements, structuralism being an important one, with architects such as Aldo van Eyck, Herman Hertzberger, and Piet Blom.

Dutch colonial architecture

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>De Stijl</i> Dutch art movement founded 1917

De Stijl, also known as Neoplasticism, was a Dutch art movement founded in 1917 in Leiden. De Stijl consisted of artists and architects. In a more narrow sense, the term De Stijl is used to refer to a body of work from 1917 to 1931 founded in the Netherlands. Proponents of De Stijl advocated pure abstraction and universality by a reduction to the essentials of form and colour. They simplified visual compositions to vertical and horizontal, using only black, white and primary colors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. P. Berlage</span> Dutch architect

Hendrik Petrus Berlage was a Dutch architect and designer. He is considered one of the fathers of the architecture of the Amsterdam School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beurs van Berlage</span> Building in Amsterdam

The Beurs van Berlage is a building on the Damrak, in the centre of Amsterdam. It was designed as a commodity exchange by architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage and constructed between 1896 and 1903. It influenced many modernist architects, in particular functionalists and the Amsterdam School. It is now used as a venue for concerts, exhibitions and conferences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amsterdam School</span> Dutch architectural style

The Amsterdam School is a style of architecture that arose from 1910 through about 1930 in the Netherlands. The Amsterdam School movement is part of international Expressionist architecture, sometimes linked to German Brick Expressionism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mart Stam</span>

Mart Stam was a Dutch architect, urban planner, and furniture designer. Stam was extraordinarily well-connected, and his career intersects with important moments in the history of 20th-century European architecture, including the invention of the cantilever chair, teaching at the Bauhaus, contributions to the Weissenhof Estate, the Van Nelle Factory,, buildings for Ernst May's New Frankfurt housing estates, followed by work in the USSR with the idealistic May Brigade, to teaching positions in Amsterdam and post-war East Germany. Upon return to the Netherlands he contributed to postwar reconstruction and finally retired,, in Switzerland, where he died.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. J. P. Oud</span> Dutch architect (1890–1963)

Jacobus Johannes Pieter Oud was a Dutch architect. His fame began as a follower of the De Stijl movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piet Kramer</span> Dutch architect

Pieter Lodewijk (Piet) Kramer was a Dutch architect, one of the most important architects of the Amsterdam School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leendert van der Vlugt</span>

Leendert Cornelis van der Vlugt was a Dutch architect in Rotterdam. In the architects office Brinkman & Van der Vlugt he was responsible for the architecture of the Van Nelle Factory, a listed monument of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditionalist School (architecture)</span> Architectural movement

Traditionalist architecture is an architectural movement in Europe since the beginning of the 20th century in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Germany et al. In the Netherlands Traditionalism was a reaction to the Neo Gothic and Neo-Renaissance styles by Pierre Cuypers. One of the first influential buildings of Traditionalism was the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, finished in 1903. Since the 1920s Traditionalist architecture has been a parallel movement to Modern architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nieuwe Zakelijkheid</span>

Nieuwe Zakelijkheid, translated as New Objectivity or New Pragmatism, is a Dutch period of modernist architecture that started in the 1920s and continued into the 1930s. The term is also used to denote a (brief) period in art and literature. Related to and descended from the German movement Neue Sachlichkeit, Nieuwe Zakelijkheid is characterized by angular shapes and designs that are generally free of ornamentation and decoration. The architecture is based on functional considerations and often included open layouts that allowed spaces to be used with flexibility. Sliding doors were included in some of the designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Nelle Factory</span> Former industrial complex in Rotterdam

The former Van Nelle Factory on the Schie in Rotterdam, is considered a prime example of the International Style based upon constructivist architecture. It has been a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014. Soon after it was built, prominent architects described the factory as "the most beautiful spectacle of the modern age" and "a poem in steel and glass".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amsterdam-Zuid</span> Borough of Amsterdam in North Holland, Netherlands

Amsterdam-Zuid is a borough (stadsdeel) of Amsterdam, Netherlands. The borough was formed in 2010 as a merger of the former boroughs Oud-Zuid and Zuideramstel. The borough has almost 138,000 inhabitants (2013). With 8,500 homes per square kilometer, it is one of the most densely populated boroughs of Amsterdam. It has the highest income per household of all boroughs in Amsterdam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nieuwe Pijp</span> Neighborhood of Amsterdam in North Holland, Netherlands

Nieuwe Pijp is a neighbourhood in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is part of the borough of Amsterdam-Zuid. The Nieuwe Pijp is bordered by Ceintuurbaan and Sarphatipark in the north, Van Woustraat in the east, Amstel Canal in the south and Boerenwetering canal in the west. Along with the Oude Pijp, situated north of the Nieuwe Pijp, it is often simply referred to as De Pijp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rivierenbuurt (Amsterdam)</span> Neighbourhood of Amsterdam in North Holland, Netherlands

Rivierenbuurt is a neighbourhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands. The neighbourhood is situated in the eastern part of the borough of Amsterdam-Zuid, bordered by the river Amstel to the east, the Boerenwetering canal in the west, the Amstelkanaal in the north and the A10 motorway in the south. In 2013, the Rivierenbuurt had approximately 28,400 residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plan Zuid</span>

The Plan Zuid is an urban development plan of Amsterdam South in the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands, designed by architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage. Berlage was responsible for the urban concept (1915) and the architects of the Amsterdam School designed the implementation of the plan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ArtZuid</span>

ARTZUID is an international large-scale sculpture exhibition which takes place every two years in Amsterdam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papaverhof</span>

The Papaverhof is a housing complex in The Hague that was designed by Jan Wils. Built between 1919 and 1921, the project was Wils' breakthrough as an architect. Today the Papaverhof is a Rijksmonument that is one of the Top 100 Dutch heritage sites. The complex was restored in 1958, 1971, 1989, and 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelly van Doesburg</span> Dutch painter

Nelly van Doesburg was a Dutch avant-garde musician, dancer, artist and art collector. She performed under her dadaïst alias Pétro van Doesburg and used the pseudonym Cupera for her work as a painter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huib Hoste</span> Belgian architect, designer and urban planner

Hubrecht (Huib) Hoste was a Belgian architect, designer and urban planner. He is considered the pioneer of modern architecture in Belgium.

References

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