An artistic philosophy that called for the renunciation of naturalistic representation in favor of a stripped-down formal vocabulary principally consisting of straight lines, rectangular planes, and primary colors. First articulated by Piet Mondrian in the journal De Stijl (The Style), Neo-plasticism (the new plastic art) was a response to the devastation wreaked by World War I, offering a way to achieve a visual harmony in art that could provide a blueprint for restoring order and balance to everyday life.