1872 - 1944
Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan, a Dutch painter and theorist, is considered to be one of the most significant artists of the 20th century.
We love him! He is known for being one of the pioneers of abstract art. He changed his artistic direction from figurative painting to an increasingly abstract style, eventually reducing his artistic vocabulary to simple geometric elements, as you can see when exploring our gallery.
In 1914, he famously proclaimed: "Art is higher than reality and has no direct relation to reality. To approach the spiritual in art, one will make as little use as possible of reality, because reality is opposed to the spiritual. We find ourselves in the presence of abstract art. Art should be above reality, otherwise it would have no value for man." Do you agree? That's a challenging question, we know. But we must admit that abstractionism is important.
He co-foundered the De Stijl art movement and group with Theo van Doesburg. He developed a non-representational form, which he called Neoplasticism. A new "pure plastic art" that he believed was necessary to create "universal beauty."
To express this, Mondrian ultimately decided to limit his formal vocabulary to the three primary colors (red, blue, and yellow), the three primary values (black, white, and gray), and the two primary directions (horizontal and vertical).
He encountered Cubism experiments in 1911 in Paris, and decided to remove an 'a' from the Dutch spelling of his name (Mondrian) to integrate himself into the Parisian avant-garde.
Piet Mondrian, the renowned Dutch painter, passed away on February 1, 1944, in New York City due to pneumonia at the age of 71.
Composition with Blue and Red (1932)
Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue (1927)
Composition in White, Red, and Yellow (1936)
Landscape near Arnhem (1900–1901)
Landzicht Farm under Light Blue Sky (circa 1906)
Composition with Grid 1 (1918)
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