Raymond van Bergen - Landscape

Van Bergen entered the Dominican order in 1910 and was given permission to study at the Art Academy in Düsseldorf. He graduated there in 1914 and, when the First World War broke out, he returned to the Netherlands and stayed briefly in the Dominican monastery in Venlo and from 1919 in the Dominican monastery in Zwolle.
From 1918 onwards he designed stained glass windows. An important source of inspiration for him was Jan Toorop. This meant that the images were stylised and exaggeratedly flat. He designed the windows for the Sint-Vincentiuskerk in Deursen (1921-1925) and the Thomas van Aquinokerk in Zwolle (1926-1929).
Later, however, he introduced the illusion of spatiality into his work. This was already evident in his windows for the Fraterhuis in 's-Hertogenbosch (1929) and for the Onze Lieve Vrouw Rozenkranskerk in Rotterdam (1939).
After the Second World War his work became more realistic. This is attributed to the influence of Joep Nicolas. His post-war work includes: 22 windows for the Sint-Lambertusbasiliek in Hengelo (1945-1949), four windows for the Petrus en Pauluskerk in Goor (after 1945), a window for the Gebouw van Sociale Zaken in Zwolle (1952) and a memorial window for the town hall in Heino (1955).
Van Bergen once received a foreign commission, for the windows of a Dominican chapel in London.
His designs were executed by various studios, and sometimes by himself, since he had his own studio in the monastery. After 1955 there were no more commissions, but he continued to draw and paint until his death.