Piet Mondrian

Piet Mondrian: from landscape to abstraction

Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan was born on 7 March 1872 in Amersfoort, the Netherlands. He trained at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam and at first painted landscapes, windmills and farms in the tradition of the Hague School. Around 1908 his work changed: in Domburg his colours became bolder, and in his series of trees you can watch the subject disappear step by step, from The Red Tree (1908) to the almost abstract Flowering Apple Tree (1912).

In 1911 Mondrian moved to Paris, where he encountered Cubism and changed the spelling of his name from Mondriaan to Mondrian. During the First World War he was stuck in the Netherlands. In 1917 he founded the magazine De Stijl with Theo van Doesburg, in which he described his Neo-Plasticism: art reduced to horizontal and vertical lines and the primary colours. In 1938 he moved to London and in 1940 to New York, where the rhythm of the city and jazz inspired him to paint Broadway Boogie Woogie. He died in New York on 1 February 1944. His last work, Victory Boogie Woogie, remained unfinished.

How to recognise Mondrian's style

Piet Mondrian's later work can be recognised by a few constant features:

• Only horizontal and vertical: Mondrian used nothing but straight lines at right angles. He rejected diagonals; in 1924 he even fell out with Theo van Doesburg over their use.
• Primary colours: Red, yellow and blue, complemented by the non-colours white, black and grey. With this limited palette he searched for balance and harmony.
• Asymmetrical balance: His compositions are never symmetrical. A large white plane balances a small red one; the work looks simple, but every line is carefully placed.
• Rhythm in the late work: In New York he let go of the black lines. In Broadway Boogie Woogie the lines are made of small coloured blocks, like the traffic and music of the city.

Where Claude Monet captured light and nature, Mondrian reduced the landscape to line and plane. With Gustav Klimt he shares a love of pattern and decoration, but in strict, geometric form. Salvador Dalí is his opposite: dream images instead of pure abstraction.

Mondrian collection at Pop Art Statues

At Pop Art Statues you'll find a changing collection of Mondrian products, available from €9.50. Think of a vase and coasters with his famous compositions, a glass paperweight by QB-art, mugs in a gift box, an espresso set and a magnet. Artists from Elephant Parade, among others, also pay tribute to Mondrian, for example with the elephant Hommage to Mondriaan.

Who is Mondrian a good gift for?

Mondrian products suit anyone who loves clean design, bright colours and Dutch art. His compositions are instantly recognisable, even for people who are not art connoisseurs. A mug or a set of coasters is an accessible gift or extra present; the vase is an eye-catching piece for the home. Mondrian is also a great gift for someone who has visited the Kunstmuseum Den Haag or the Mondriaanhuis in Amersfoort, or for a lover of architecture and graphic design.

The products fit well in a modern, minimalist or Scandinavian interior, where the primary colours add a cheerful accent.

Less suitable for those who prefer soft, romantic or floral motifs. Mondrian's bright colours and hard lines call for an interior that can handle that boldness.

See also

Do you like Piet Mondrian? Also check out Claude Monet, Gustav Klimt and Salvador Dalí in our collection.

Frequently asked questions about Piet Mondrian