Dutch painter and art theoretician
Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan
[after 1906 Piet Mondrian]
was born,
March 7, 1872
in Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands
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Regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, he is known for being one of the pioneers of 20th-century abstract art. 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. Art critic Robert Hughes considers him as “one of the supreme artists of the 20th century.” Dutch art historian Carel Blotkamp -an authority on De Stijl- also described him as “one of the great artists of the twentieth century”. On a side note, he never used a ruler! 😉
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So here’s a glimpse of his work & words
❝ Abstract art is not the creation of another reality but the true vision of reality.❞
❝ Vertical and horizontal lines are the expression of two opposing forces; they exist everywhere and dominate everything; their reciprocal action constitutes ‘life’. I recognized that the equilibrium of any particular aspect of nature rests on the equivalence of its opposites.❞
❝ The emotion of beauty is always obscured by the appearance of the object. Therefore, the object must be eliminated from the picture.❞
❝ Intellect confuses intuition.❞
❝ I, too, find the flower beautiful in its outward appearance. But a deeper beauty lies concealed within.❞
❝ The surface of things gives enjoyment, their interiority gives life. ❞
❝ Every true artist has been inspired more by the beauty of lines and color and the relationships between them than by the concrete subject of the picture. ❞
❝ The more basic the color, the more inward, the more pure. ❞
❝ I wish to approach truth as closely as is possible, and therefore I abstract everything until I arrive at the fundamental quality of objects.❞
❝ It is a task of art to express clear vision of reality.❞
❝ It is possible that, through horizontal and vertical lines constructed with awareness, but not with calculation, led by high intuition, and brought to harmony and rhythm, these basic forms of beauty, supplemented if necessary by other direct lines or curves, can become a work of art, as strong as it is true.❞
❝ I don’t want pictures, I want to find things out.❞
❝ The truly modern artist is aware of abstraction in an emotion of beauty.❞
❝ I think you too recognize the important relationship between philosophy and art, and it is just this relationship that most painters deny. The great masters do grasp it, unconsciously; but I believe that a painter’s conscious spiritual knowledge will have a much greater influence upon his art, and that it would be due only to a weakness in him, or lack of genius, should this spiritual knowledge be harmful to his art.❞
❝ If you follow nature you will not be able to vanquish the tragic in any real degree in your art… We must free ourselves from our attachment to the external, for only then do we transcend the tragic, and are enabled consciously to contemplate the repose which is within all things.❞
❝ By the unification of architecture, sculpture and painting a new plastic reality will be created.❞
❝ The only problem in art is to achieve a balance between the subjective and the objective.❞
❝ The purer the artist’s ‘mirror’ is, the more true reality reflects in it. Overseeing the historical culture of art, we must conclude that the mirror only slowly is purified. Time producing this purifying shows a gradual, more constant and objective image of reality.❞
❝ The relation of color and the relation of proportion are both based on the relation of position.❞
❝ In past times when one lived in contact with nature, abstraction was easy; it was done unconsciously. Now in our denaturalized age abstraction becomes an effort.❞
❝ Reality manifests itself as constant and objective – independent of us, but as changeable in space and time. Consequently, its reflection in us contains both properties. Mixed up in our mind, these properties are confused and we do not have a proper image of reality.❞
❝ Why should art continue to follow nature when every other field has left nature behind? ❞
I’m sure many remember Yves Saint Laurent tribute to Mondrian, in 1965, designing cocktail dresses.
❝ Nature or, that which I see, inspires me, puts me, as with any painter, in an emotional state so that an urge comes about to make something, but I want to come as close as possible to the truth and abstract everything from that, until I reach the foundation, still just an external foundation, of things… ❞
❝ The position of the artist is humble. He is essentially a channel.❞
❝ Observing sea, sky and stars, I sought to indicate their plastic function through a multiplicity of crossing verticals and horizontals. Impressed by the vastness of Nature, I was trying to express its expansion, rest and unity.❞
❝ The position of the artist is humble. He is essentially a channel.❞
❝ To approach the spiritual in art, one will make as little use as possible of reality, because reality is opposed to the spiritual.❞
Self Portraits
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listening to
Arvo Pärt
“Spiegel im Spiegel*”
*Mirror in the Mirror
Renaud Capuçon violin • Guillaume Bellom piano
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For more information on Mondrian:
https://www.piet-mondrian.org/
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/piet-mondrian-1651
https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/piet-mondrian
https://www.moma.org/artists/4057
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?q=Piet+Mondrian&sortBy=Relevance&pageSize=0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet_Mondrian
Marina Kanavaki 
Maybe he used strings! ha ha
But seriously, it’s a very thought-provoking and beautiful collection as you’ve presented it here. I always thought the Partridge Family Bus was just 70s groovy. But now I see…
https://www.google.com/search?q=partidge+family+bus
(click on Images if they don’t show…)
….and why not!?!!!!!!! Or… shadows! 😉
So glad you enjoyed it. Groovy Bus! I hadn’t seen it!
It was a big show when I was a kid. One of my favs. The musical family jammed in their garage… something I always wanted. A Partridge Family garage, all stocked with instruments. People teased me that I looked like Danny Partridge, a famous child actor who like so many had it rough when virtually dropped by show biz as an adult. ‘Wesley Crusher’ is another… Probably more TV trivia than you ever wanted… 😁
Now Wesley, I remember! Trekkie revealed! 😂🤣😂 The name Partridge Family is also familiar but I’m not sure it made it here at the time. A garage stocked with instruments does sound like a treat!
They had a fairly talented TV studio band compose and perform their songs for them. Except for teen hearthrob David Cassidy, who actually sang… You and hubs should check it out some weekend, if only to round out your music history! The sharpy manager is also funny (a Canadian actor).
I will check it out! 😉
YouTube… 😆
😉
I gotta figure out how to make these come out smaller!!!!
xoxo
…the images?
Yes, so they don’t come out giant monsters in comments. xoxoxo
Now I see…. but I’m glad your drawing is big… deserves it!!!!!! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
hahaha xoxoxoxoxo
😘😘😘😘😘😘😘🌷🌷🌷🌷
If you use Chrome, ” ctrl ” and then ” – ”
I’ve had to resize some of the images from time to time cos I use small monitors sometimes.
Not sure about Firefox and other browsers… but there must be an equivalent. 🤣
Thank you! I’ll give it a whirl!
Not sure if it applies to mobile. I am a PC man, mostly… 😅
❤️💙💛💙♡💛❤️
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Hahaha! Great emoji line up for Mondrian!
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You got it!!!! No white heart though [same size anyway!] and I was pretty sure there was one! Oh well…
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Oddly enough I know of Mondrian from fashion; Yves St. Laurent’s famous Mondrian dress.
I drew one on Boogapony Holly. I thought I did some justice.
Although I prefer his non geometric paintings better, I like everything I see here.
Thank you, Marina!
You put a lot into these posts,and I appreciate it.
Also, the music is perfect for Modrian’s art.
xoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
I remember it and you more than did it justice!!!
Thank you so much, dahling. I really enjoy these journeys and I’m so happy you appreciate them!
Love and huge hugs your way!!!!
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Your art journeys are FAB!!!
Love and hugs to you, dahling.
Love and hugs to Hera, but wait for me to clear the area before you tell her!
I’m running out of sponges!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Worry not… there’s a shipment of sponges coming your way, because……
She can’t hold back, not even for a minute!!!!!
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Yay!!!!!! xoxoxoxoxoxo
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Wow, what an exquisite artist he was, Marina. I love that you shared his philosophy, too. I find it difficult to choose a favorite, but some paintings that stand out are: Little House in Sunlight, Composition 8, Spring Sun, and I remember seeing those cocktail dresses, also. Such stunning and versatile work. Thanks for this bit of education. Love and hugs, my friend! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
He was indeed! So glad you enjoyed this journey to his work!
Many hugs and love back, my dear Lauren! ❤⚘❤⚘❤
A day late for this tribute because I’ve been on the road that past two days. Ah ha … another artist I don’t know. His work is quite versitle.
Amazing artist. Most abstract artists were masters of representational art too, or so they started off [Picasso is one of them], so it makes it really interesting to see their progress. Happy Hump Day, Frank!
Yamas!
Such a wonderful artist! I didn’t know he never used a ruler 😱 I have to ask, how did he do it?
The Pärt was a wonderful choice too. One of my favourite pieces by him 💕
Exactly… when I read it, I was curious too but didn’t look further for an answer.* Amazing right?! For some reason, Pärt music was what came to my ears with Mondrian, especially Devotion.
*I just looked it up and this is what I found:
“He used tape or strips of paper as an early form of masking tape when creating the blocks of colour. The black lines were thinly painted to start with, and he gradually built up the bold shapes until he’d created those perfect straight edges.”
and this:
“The straight line was one of Mondrian’s most important pictorial devices, as he claimed it facilitates the human ability to understand complicated experiences. Straight lines bring a sense of order and expression to humanity, where the sharpness of the line’s edge has a more profound impact on the overall work. “
Good to see his representational work in addition to the geometric pieces!
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Brilliant isn’t it? I love both!
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Marina – you have the best virtual artist tours. It is as if I have walked into an art gallery when I visit your space. What I most appreciate about Piet Mondrian’s art is the message that comes through – his search for universal values and aesthetics, while remaining rooted in nature. He diversity of art is extraordinary. I am taking this thought with me to think about this week: “The surface of things gives enjoyment, their interiority gives life.” Sending hugs!
Btilliant thought!
Thank you so much Rebecca. I’m so happy we’re taking these journeys together!
Many more hugs to you!
My absolutely favourite piece of music is Spiegel im Spiegel. When it plays, I close my eyes and meditate for the full 9 minutes – even if I`m sitting at reception!!
As for Mondrian, his paintings are outstanding. I will never understand how one can draw lines and fill in certain of the squares or rectangles can be considered high art when I get laughed out of art class for doing same, but hey, what do I know?
With you on Spiegel im Spiegel!
Laughed out?! Not right!
As for abstract art, all those masters knew very well how to draw (if one sees their early works it’s obvious!). They are making a point with their abstraction one way or another.
I couldn’t believe that Devotion (one of my favorite works) was Mondrian’s.
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It’s perfect meditation music.
So to speak. I was never clever enough artistically to come up with something like that 🙂
They really did. Amazing what we find out when we go digging.
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Oh, I agree…. and it’s like this with most of Pärt music.
“clever enough artistically”?! …kidding me right?! Just that we feel more at home with specific types of expression.
Truly amazing!
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True. I like quite a few of his pieces (haven’t heard all that many).
Oh no. I did not ever have a creative bone in my body. It has developed since.
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Dale, your bones [and surrounding matter] are very creative! I know!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
You are lovely to say. I know now but I truly did not believe it then.
xoxo
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Yes, I do remember seeing photos of those Yves Saint Laurent dresses.
I greatly enjoyed this introduction to Piet Mondrian, his work, and his philosophy of art. Over the past couple of years, I’ve been attending artists’ salons on Zoom sponsored by Woven Tale Press. I’m gaining a much better understanding and appreciation of abstract painting. Thank you for continuing my educaton with this post!
Awwww…. I’m so happy that I can contribute even to the slightest with these journeys. 🙏😘
I love this tuition-free continuing education!
A ha ha ha… “tuition-free”! It’s really a joy doing them. As I often say, no matter how many times I see a work of art, I always discover something new! Thank you, Liz! xoxo
You’re welcome, Marina!
xoxo
I, too, love his work
We agree!!!!
I love his paintings.
Me too!