Advancing the art of building: Bouwkundige Bijdragen in the Netherlands

Abstract

The foundation of the Maatschappij tot Bevordering der Bouwkunst [the Society for the Advancement of the Art of Building] in 1842 and its journal Bouwkundige Bijdragen [Architectural Contributions] signalled a new era for Dutch architectural theory and practice. This was the first time that architects started to present themselves as specialists. This paper traces the changing climate in the Dutch art of building as documented through the articles and images published in the Bouwkundige Bijdragen, the first architectural journal in the Netherlands, and analyses these changes through the contributions and writings of the Amsterdam-based architect Johannes Hermanus Leliman (1828–1910). Leliman represents one of the main voices in Dutch architectural debates and was a fervent advocate of eclecticism. Leliman and his fellow architects utilised the pages of the Bouwkundige Bijdragen to passionately discuss the prospects for a new Dutch architecture, architectural history, technical innovations and building materials, or German and French inspirations, from 1843 to 1881. The paper examines the journal as a principal outlet and platform for the emergence of new ideas and theories at the moment of Dutch architects’ self-emancipation.