Henry Van De Velde

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Some years back, I moved out of my parents’ house and rented an apartment of my own. It was like a blank canvas when it came to decorating and purchasing new furniture. I took a huge step and ventured out on my own to all the stores within the area. It became very obvious there was a variety of furniture for every taste. You had antique, traditional, rustic, and the most popular design today; modern. When you think about it, we have come quite a long ways from our only options being stone or heavy oak. Research actually shows that the first three-quarters of the twentieth century are viewed as advancement toward Modernism. One of the brave designers to march toward this approach was Henry Van de Velde. A man who started off as a painter, found…show more content…
After starting his career as a painter in Belgium, Van de Velde turned to architecture and design after becoming enamored with the works of William Morris and John Ruskin. He was inspired by a designer named William Morris and became enlighten by the English Arts and Crafts Movement. During that time, Van De Velde was looking to be a part of something that was unique to the world; where only few had the ability to create. Henry was extremely multi-talented; some say ahead of his time. He designed furniture, clothing, jewelry, houses and lamps. This is when he became the creator and breakthrough of the Art Nouveau movement. Like Morris, he wanted to make everyday objects that would be both beautiful and…show more content…
It was a masterpiece that expressed the direction in art he was heading towards. Henry was later given many opportunities that gave him more of a receptive audience. He became well knowns in France, but his avant-garde work was best received in Germany. He moved there in 1900, and created a whole new style and branched out in ceramics, textiles, even leatherwork and wickerwork. In 1902, the Grand Duke of Weimar contacted Van de Velde to design two buildings for his School of Art and Applied Arts, now Bauhaus University. It was from theses that the Bauhaus style of architecture emerged. Van de Velde remained in Germany after the outbreak of the first war and became a professor at Ghent University, 1902 to 1917, there he designed several houses in Thuringer and Saxony. In each he adhered to the principle of exposing the interiors to natural light with large windows that brought nature inside. A beautiful example of this is his house in Weimear, Hohe Papplin Haus, with its stunning sky jutting angles. Another is the airy interior he designed for the Nietzsche Archives that houses the papers of noted German philosopher Frederick
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