Pieter Cornelis Mondrian was born on March 7th 1872 in Amersvoort in central Holland. His Uncle Fritz was a self-taught painter. Piet's abstract style was NOT similar to his uncle's but, to avoid confusion, Piet signed his paintings with his full name, rather than merely his surname as was the custom.
In 1914 World War I began. Mondrian had returned to Holland to visit his father who was mortally ill. Trapped in Holland, Mondrian would not see Paris for four years because of the war, his equipment and paintings still in Paris. During the war he moved to Laren, an artist's community. Mondrian started to write a few articles for a magazine called "De Stijl" AKA The Style.
The De Stijl community was a group of artists, architects and sculptors that worked together to create a new society that would be in tune with "the laws of the universe". They believed their art should be clear in form and spiritual, as opposed to earthly. Natural forms were earthly, straight lines and angles spiritual. Thus "it would not be impossible to create a paradise on Earth", they said.
Now De Stijl is known as an art movement, almost synonymous with the red, yellow and blue neo-plasticism paintings of Piet Mondrian.
Watch the Smarthistory Video about Mondrian.
No comments:
Post a Comment