(Bonas essay) J. Limburg Little is known about the life of architect Jo Limburg (1864-1945). The most interesting fact that has come to light to date is his friendship with the artist aesthete Willem van Konijnenburg (1868-1943). An exhibition of drawings by Van Konijnenburg from Jo Limburg's collection was held at Pulchri Studio in 1938. The exhibition took place in connection with the artist's seventieth birthday. We do not learn more about the exhibition, because at the request of the birthday boy the journalist refrained from doing so. Limburg was among the early collectors of Konijnenburg's work. Unfortunately, Limburg's collection has disappeared almost without trace. Konijnenburg in turn had a great regard for Limburg. He included his portrait in a writing entitled "The aesthetic idea under the rubric "Artifex divini sacerdos" (the artist is priest of the divine). The architect shared this honor with four other artists, including the poet P.C. Boutens. Van Konijnenburg is also the designer of the facade sculptures on the warehouse building of the Stokvis company (1917), which were conceived in the "Egyptian" style characteristic of him. Until 1926, another aesthete, the then famous artist and art critic Albert Plasschaert, also belonged to the circle around Konijnenburg. Limburg must have been a man of some distinction, given the various ancillary positions he held. Remarkably, a considerable part of his not extensive oeuvre was published in the professional literature of the Interwar period. He built villas, office and bank buildings and a barracks complex as well as a school. Already in his early work, such as the villa Anna (1899), a striving for monumentality is unmistakably visible. Until 1914, his work is strongly influenced by H.P. Berlage. This is particularly evident in his barracks buildings for the Colonial Reserve at Nijmegen (1909-1912). Sleek and "artless" in design is also his Nederlands Lyceum (1911, since demolished). An important moment in Limburg's development is the colossal villa for the margarine magnate Van den Bergh, better known as 'Het Botervlootje' (1912-1914). Although the exterior of the villa strongly refers to the classicist tradition (Palladio), the architect has managed to give the building a contemporary signature, which is sometimes referred to as 'expressionist' in professional literature. The interior of this villa, especially the central hall, works rather like a Romanesque church. A somewhat different building for its time is villa Schalder (1915, now demolished). The building is white plastered and has an almost symmetrical floor plan. The distribution of windows on the facades suggest the influence of Sezessions architecture. The same applies to the almost simultaneously designed Warehouse Stokvis (1915-1916). A special feature of this building is its travertine facade, said to be the first large-scale application of this type of natural stone in our country. Characteristic of both the latter buildings is a strong verticalism. A textbook example of "expressive" use of brick, is Limburgs bank branch of the Gelderland Credit Society in Heerlen (1918). This building fits pre-eminently into the Nieuwe Haagse School, which developed from 1914 onward, and to which Limburg is therefore also included. Limburg also made an important contribution to the construction of workers' housing. His complex on the Mussenberg in Arnhem (1918-1920) set an important example. Dating from 1924 are the houses in the Jozef Israëlslaan (1924) and the famous Second Gymnasium in The Hague (1924). In these buildings, Limburg again demonstrates his predilection for clear building volumes, linking cubic and cylindrical elements. Especially in a freestanding building such as the Second Gymnasium, this building, seen from different sides, as well as with changing lighting, produces a constantly new spectacle of form. Influences from Cubism and De Stijl will have inspired Limburg in this direction. However, Limburg's Cubism should be seen primarily as a classicism reduced to an extreme, which is essentially the common thread in his oeuvre. Education: Polytechnic School Delft/?-1888 Secondary activities: Architectural committee Park Zorgvliet/member/ca. 1920; Beauty Committee The Hague/member/until 1913; Committee Hildebrand Monument Haarlem/jury member/1913; Competition Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten/jury member/1918; Competition for facade designs of the first 100 buildings founded on the grounds of the Algemeene 's Gravenhaagsche Bouwgrond-maatschappij/jury member/1909; Competition for housing for agricultural workers with small landholdings and for farms on heath land (Royal Dutch Agricultural Society)/juroryl member on behalf of the Permanent Competition Commission/1913; Admission Committee, Department of Architecture, General International Exposition Brussels/member/1910; Commission for the advancement of the professional interests of the architect (Me. ten behoeve van de Bouwkunst)/member/1909; Commissie Regelen en Tabel voor de Volkswoningbouw/lid/1916; Tentoonstelling Utiliteitswerken t.g.v. de Conferentie voor het Bouwkundig Element bij de bescherming der Schoonheid van Nederland (Mij. ten behoeve van de Bouwkunst)/inzender/1911