Piet Mondrian
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
"Nonobjectivity appeared, contemporary with cubism, in the paintings of the Russian Wassily Kandinsky ( 1866-1944), who, with a thorough understanding of the psychological effect of each element, and of the interrelationship of elements, composed paintings devoid of representational content which convey, like music, certain moods or “soul states”. Completely nonobjective painting is found also in the work of the Russians Kasimir Malevich (1878— 1935 ) and Alexander Rodchenko (1891- ), and of the neoplasticists of the Netherlands, of whom Piet Cornelis Mondrian (1872-1944) is perhaps the best known. Composition in White, Black and Red is organized into so perfect an asymmetrical balance of lines, areas, and colors that no change, even infinitesimal, is possible without disturbing that balance. The colors used are black, white, and a small amount of red; and the lines are a balance of verticals and horizontals, with no curve and no diagonal." --Gardner's Art Through the Ages (1926) by Helen Gardner |
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Pieter Cornelis "Piet" Mondriaan, after 1906 Mondrian (March 7, 1872 – February 1, 1944) was a Dutch painter.
He was an important contributor to the De Stijl art movement and group, which was founded by Theo van Doesburg. He evolved a non-representational form which he termed neoplasticism. This consisted of white ground, upon which was painted a grid of vertical and horizontal black lines and the three primary colors.
Between his 1905 painting, The River Amstel, and his 1907 Amaryllis, Mondrian changed the spelling of his signature from Mondriaan to Mondrian.
He is known for such works as Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow.