Piet Mondrian

lines, rectangles, primary colours

Mondrian radically reduced his pictures to black lines, right angles and the primary colours red, yellow and blue.

💡 Did you know? He strictly rejected diagonals and curves: when a colleague introduced them, Mondrian indignantly left the group.

from landscape to abstraction

Mondrian began with naturalistic landscapes and trees and abstracted them step by step down to the pure grid.

💡 Did you know? His tree series shows how the subject almost disappears.

De Stijl

It carried the strict clarity into architecture and design too.

💡 Did you know? With „De Stijl“ Mondrian sought a universal, ordered art: a model for architecture and design worldwide.

in design (fashion, products)

Mondrian's grid of lines and primary colours became a classic of modern design.

💡 Did you know? Yves Saint Laurent created famous „Mondrian dresses“ in 1965: the pattern still adorns everything from fashion to packaging.

Netherlands

Mondrian came from the Netherlands and lived in Paris, London and New York.

💡 Did you know? Originally he was „Mondriaan“ with a double a: in Paris he dropped an „a“ to seem more international.

New York and jazz

In New York the street grid and jazz thrilled Mondrian: his last pictures grew more colourful and lively.

💡 Did you know? He was a passionate dancer; he died in 1944 in New York.

Broadway Boogie Woogie

Around 1942/43: inspired by the rhythm of jazz; the lines seem to dance.

💡 Did you know? Blinking coloured squares echo the rhythm of New York and the boogie-woogie jazz Mondrian loved.

Victory Boogie Woogie

Painted around 1942.

💡 Did you know? Mondrian's last, unfinished work: he died in 1944 in the middle of working on it.

The Red Tree

Painted around 1909.

💡 Did you know? An early tree in glowing red and blue: still far from the later grid.

Gray Tree

Painted around 1911.

💡 Did you know? Here the tree already dissolves into a web of lines: a step toward pure abstraction.

Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow

Around 1930: the classic Mondrian grid of lines and primary colours.

💡 Did you know? The prime example of his mature style: only lines, angles and three primary colours.

New York City

Painted around 1942.

💡 Did you know? A grid of red, yellow and blue lines captures the energy of the metropolis.

Evolution

Painted around 1911.

💡 Did you know? An early, still symbolist-spiritual triptych from Mondrian's theosophical phase.

New York City I

Painted around 1941.

💡 Did you know? Coloured tape strips that Mondrian kept rearranging: painting as endless balancing.

Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue

Painted around 1937.

💡 Did you know? One of many variations on the theme: Mondrian sought the perfect balance of the planes.

Composition 10 in Black and White

Painted around 1915.

💡 Did you know? This picture grew out of plus and minus signs: abstracted from the sight of the sea.

Composition with Large Red Plane

Painted around 1921.

💡 Did you know? A large red plane dominates: Mondrian played with the equilibrium of unequal fields.

Lighthouse in Westkapelle

Painted around 1908.

💡 Did you know? An early lighthouse in cool tones, before Mondrian found pure abstraction.

Piet Mondrian

Piet Mondrian (1872 to 1944) was a Dutch painter and co-founder of abstract art, famous for his pictures of lines and primary colours.

💡 Did you know? Mondrian was a passionate dancer: the rhythm of the Charleston and boogie-woogie flowed straight into his late pictures.