Sunday 9 August 2015

Piet Mondrian

Piet Mondrian was a Dutch painter who lived between 1872 and 1944. He was a contributor to the De Stijil art movement founded by Theo Van Doesburg. He developed a form called neoplasticism. This is a white background with a grid of horizontal and vertical black lines and the three primary colours.

He began to  produce paintings in this form in 1919 while in Paris.

Here is a link to the painting for this week's Painting Talk discussion. It is called Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow from 1930. The series of compositions to which this painting belongs has been used in lots of other areas of culture such as fashion and even a Katy Perry music video. (Thanks Mike Watson)

Composition II in red, Blue and Yellow 1930

I have always liked pattern and order which is why I think this style of art work appeals to me. I like the contrast between the black and white grid and the bold primary colours. I like the apparent simplicity of it while at the same time being an impressive visual image.