Piet Mondrian, the "painter of squares", is one of the most prolific modern artists of all time. Of Dutch origin, Mondrian built his oeuvre around De Stijl magazine, the main neo-Plasticist outlet, developing an iconic approach to painting that inspired generations of future artists and designers.
For great innovators such as Mondrian, art was to be represented through straight lines and pure colours. This was because the rectilinear and chromatically pure was a symbol of the expression of cosmic order.
In 1912 Mondrian moved to Paris, where he was inspired by Cubist artists such as Picasso and Braque. He returned to Holland during the First World War and continued to develop his own artistic style.
When the Second World War broke out, the artist returned to the Netherlands, where he met his future companions in the movement, Bart Van Der Leck and Theo van Doesburg. With them and others (architects, designers, etc.) he founded the magazine De Stijl. This group of artists wanted to represent the absolute truths of the universe.
De Stijl quickly evolved from a magazine title into an art movement that had worldwide repercussions. Its aesthetic, consisting of reduced forms and primary colours, was applied to painting, graphic design, furniture, architecture and other disciplines. But Mondrian eventually distanced himself from the group when he disagreed with Van Doesburg over the use of diagonal lines. In the end Van Doesburg would end up using diagonals, bored with so many monotonous lines, and an offended Mondrian would finally break away from the group for such sacrilege. After this he travelled, exporting his artistic vision for a brief period in London, finally settling in New York. Where art collectors such as Peggy Guggenheim were receptive to him. From that time on, the repercussions of jazz are reflected in his works, which for him were the equivalent of a composition of sharp black lines and primary colours evolving eventually to consist of coloured cubes. His last work, "Victory Boogie Woogie", remained unfinished when he died of pneumonia in 1944. Still, it is one of his most famous works. Mondrian's former home in Winterswijk has also been converted into a fascinating museum called Villa Mondrian. It is worth taking the opportunity to follow in his footsteps, see where he learned to paint, understand his early influences and admire the landscapes that inspired his early works.
