Piet Mondrian
- Introduction
- Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan (Dutch: [ˈpitər kɔrˈneːlɪs ˈmɔndrijaːn]), after 1906 Piet Mondrian (, also US: , Dutch: [pit ˈmɔndrijɑn]; 7 March 1872 – 1 February 1944), was a Dutch painter and art theoretician who is regarded as one of the great artists of the 20th century. He is known for being one of the pioneers of 20th-century abstract art, as he changed his artistic direction from figurative painting to an increasingly abstract style, until he reached a point where his artistic vocabulary was reduced to simple geometric elements.Mondrian's art was highly utopian and was concerned with a search for universal values and aesthetics. He proclaimed in 1914: "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 an abstract art. Art should be above reality, otherwise it would have no value for man." His art, however, always remained rooted in nature. He was a contributor to the De Stijl art movement and group, which he co-founded with Theo van Doesburg. He evolved a non-representational form which he termed Neoplasticism. This was the new 'pure plastic art' which he believed was necessary in order to create 'universal beauty'. To express this, Mondrian eventually 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). Mondrian's arrival in Paris from the Netherlands in 1911 marked the beginning of a period of profound change. He encountered experiments in Cubism and with the intent of integrating himself within the Parisian avant-garde removed an 'a' from the Dutch spelling of his name (Mondrian).Mondrian's work had an enormous influence on 20th century art, influencing not only the course of abstract painting and numerous major styles and art movements (e.g. Color Field painting, Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism), but also fields outside the domain of painting, such as design, architecture and fashion. Design historian Stephen Bayley said: "Mondrian has come to mean Modernism. His name and his work sum up the High Modernist ideal. I don't like the word 'iconic', so let's say that he's become totemic – a totem for everything Modernism set out to be."
- Wikidata
- Q151803
- Introduction
- Piet Mondrian was a realistic landscape painter before moving to Paris and being influenced by the Cubist movement. Later, Mondrian was involved in the De Stijl movement (1917-1931) in art and architecture, publishing several essays in the De Stijl journal. He developed a rigorous form of Comment on works: abstract painting known as Neo-Plasticism, which generally reduces forms to geometrical shapes in primary colors. Comment on works: abstract
- Nationalities
- Dutch, Netherlandish
- Gender
- Male
- Roles
- Artist, Author, Painter, Theorist
- Names
- Piet Mondrian, Piet Mondriaan, Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan, Pieter Cornelis Mondrian, Mondrian
- Ulan
- 500004972
Exhibitions
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Engineer, Agitator, Constructor: The Artist Reinvented
Through Apr 10
MoMA
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512: Circle and Square, Joaquin Torres-Garcia and Piet Mondrian
Ongoing
MoMA
Collection gallery
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Sur moderno: Journeys of Abstraction—The Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Gift
May 28–Sep 12, 2020
MoMA
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512: Abstraction and Utopia
Oct 21, 2019–Oct 12, 2020
MoMA
Collection gallery
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Soundings: A Contemporary Score
Aug 10–Nov 3, 2013
MoMA
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Piet Mondrian has
106 exhibitionsonline.
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Piet Mondrian Reformed Church at Winterswijk 1898
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Piet Mondrian Truncated View of the Broekzijder Mill on the Gein, Wings Facing West c. 1902-03 or earlier
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Piet Mondrian View from the Dunes with Beach and Piers, Domburg 1909
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Piet Mondrian Composition in Brown and Gray 1913
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Piet Mondrian Composition in Oval with Color Planes 1 1914
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Piet Mondrian Tableau no. 2 / Composition no. V 1914
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Piet Mondrian Pier and Ocean 5 (Sea and Starry Sky) 1915, dated 1914
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Piet Mondrian Composition with Color Planes 5 1917
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Piet Mondrian Composition C 1920
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Piet Mondrian Composition with Red, Blue, Black, Yellow, and Gray 1921
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Piet Mondrian Tableau I: Lozenge with Four Lines and Gray 1926
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Piet Mondrian Postcard (Addressed to A.F. Del Marle) 1926
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Piet Mondrian Postcard (Addressed to A.F. Del Marle) 1926
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Piet Mondrian Postcard (Addressed to A.F. Del Marle) 1927
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Piet Mondrian Postcard (Addressed to A.F. Del Marle) 1927
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Piet Mondrian Textual (Textuel) 1928
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Piet Mondrian Composition No. II, with Red and Blue 1929 (original date partly obliterated; mistakenly repainted 1925 by Mondrian)
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Piet Mondrian Composition with Red and Blue 1933
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Piet Mondrian Composition in White, Black, and Red Paris 1936
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Piet Mondrian Composition in Yellow, Blue, and White, I 1937
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Piet Mondrian Study for a Composition c. 1935–36
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Piet Mondrian Composition in Red, Blue, and Yellow 1937-42
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Piet Mondrian Broadway Boogie Woogie 1942-43
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Piet Mondrian Trafalgar Square 1939-43
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Various Artists, Jean (Hans) Arp, Giacomo Balla, Robert Delaunay, Sonia Delaunay-Terk, Albert Gleizes, Auguste Herbin, Vasily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, František Kupka, Fernand Léger, Alberto Magnelli, Piet Mondrian, Francis Picabia, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Theo van Doesburg, Jacques Villon Art of Today, Masters of Abstract Art (Art d'aujourd'hui, maîtres de l'art abstrait), Album I 1953
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Piet Mondrian Composition from Art of Today, Masters of Abstract Art (Art d'aujourd'hui, maîtres de l'art abstrait), Album I 1953 (original executed in 1921)
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