Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow by Piet Mondrian, 1930.
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“Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow” by Piet Mondrian, 1930. (Photo: Public domain viaWikipedia)This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, My Modern Met may earn an affiliate commission. Please readour disclosurefor more info.
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So what pushed Mondrian to break boundaries and shake up the art world?
Who was Piet Mondrian?
“Wood with Beech Trees” by Piet Mondrian, 1899. (Photo: Public domain viaWikiart)
Born in 1872, Mondrian lived through incredible advances in technology and the dawn of two World Wars.
Curious and bright, he wasn’t afraid to move out of his comfort zone.
Like any good Dutch artist of the time, he often painted landscapes.
“Tableau I” by Piet Mondrian, 1921. (Photo: Public domain viaWikipedia)
But even here, he gave the traditional format his own twist.
It’s this willingness to play with the rules that would serve him well much later in his career.
Wood with Beech Trees by Piet Mondrian, 1899.
“Broadway Boogie-Woogie” by Piet Mondrian, 1942. (Photo: Public domain viaWikipedia)
Their influence appears in his work, which moved increasingly toward abstraction.
But his return didn’t slow down his innovative spirit.
Tableau I by Piet Mondrian, 1921.
Models wearing Mondrian Collection by Yves Saint Laurent in the Gemeentemuseum at The Hague, 1966. (Photo: Eric Koch / Anefo [CC BY-SA 3.0],via Wikimedia Commons)
What may seem random to the untrained eye was actually the culmination of years of training.
In fact, landscapes and nature were never far from Mondrian’s mind.
Quite to the contrary, they deeply influenced his abstract paintings.
His letter to Dutch art critic and painter H.P.
of things…
Broadway Boogie-Woogie by Piet Mondrian, 1942.
His late paintingsBroadway Boogie-WoogieandVictory Boogie Woogie, were influenced by American jazz music and the neon lights of Manhattan.
Legacy
Long after his death in 1944, Mondrian continued to influence artists across different mediums.
But his reach also touches architecture.
There are evenMondrian cakesto delight your eyes and your taste buds!
Models wearing Mondrian Collection by Yves Saint Laurent in the Gemeentemuseum at The Hague, 1966.
