Mondrian
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Piet Mondrian Composition in Red, Blue, and Yellow 1937-42
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.
Mondrian's neo-plastic paintings are recognized as having exquisite aesthetic visual balance[ 2]. Mondrian was a prolific artist, and the changes in artistic style of his artwork throughout his career, show a progression from realistic, objective,representation, to abstract, conceptual, works. If viewing a randomized collection of works throughout his career, one might incorrectly assume that the progression of his work went in the opposite style trend, starting from simple geometric works, concluding with exquisite realistic works....from simple - to - complex. However, he was part of a revolution in art, partially a consequence of the invention of the camera, [ Wikipedia ] , where avant-garde artists considered new meanings for artist production.
Computer science researchers have analyzed Mondrian's paintings to understand the composition style rules in his artwork (1). Andrzejewski et al. used AI / machine learning techniques to create software that could determine if an artwork was a Mondrian style artwork. While Mondrian insisted that his art was based on his intuition, rather than mechanistic approaches, to achieve the aesthetic balance in his compositions, computers can use AI techniques to discover subtle design structures in his compositions.
Mondrian published "De Nieuwe Beelding in de schilderkunst" ("The New Plastic in Painting")[22] in twelve installments during 1917 and 1918. This was his first major attempt to express his artistic theory in writing. Mondrian's best and most-often quoted expression of this theory, however, comes from a letter he wrote to H. P. Bremmer in 1914:
I construct lines and color combinations on a flat surface, in order to express general beauty with the utmost awareness. 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…
I believe 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.[23]
I wish to approach truth as closely as is possible, and therefore I abstract everything until I arrive at the fundamental quality of objects.
Louis Veen's analysis: Piet Mondrian on the Principles of Neo–Plasticism, notes:
The "doctrine of opposites" has a tremendous appeal for Mondrian. The "opposing dualities" he used in his Neoplastic compositions are: color vs non–color, horizontal vs vertical, small vs large, and matt vs glossy. Additionally, he wants to achieve a constant interplay between the "opposing dualities" in his paintings. In his later English–language texts – to refer to this particular interaction – Mondrian uses the terms "dynamic equilibrium" or "dynamic movement". His writings also show numerous examples of the use of opposite concepts, such as: universal vs individual, inner vs outer, matter vs spirit, temporality vs perpetuity, determined vs undetermined, objective vs subjective, relative vs absolute, male vs female. [Veen]
Mondrian was in search of space based on a relationship between opposing entities because he felt in his heart the contrast between the virtually infinite manifold dimension of nature and the finite and individual human condition, between the physical space of the external world stretching away beyond the horizons of sight (especially in the Netherlands) and the mental space internally developed by the human subject; the contrast between expansion and concentration, matter and spirit, multiplicity and unity.
The entire existence of human beings is marked by the search for equilibrium and synthesis between contradictory drives.
Mondrian's Progression Towards Abstract Art
Garza, Andrés Gómez de Silva and Aram Zamora Lores. “Automating Evolutionary Art in the Style of Mondrian.” GECCO (2004).
Everything is expressed through relationships.
After carefully examining each individual work throughout the process of adding images to the database, we both remarked that seeing Mondrian’s work in context has radically altered the manner in which we conceptualize Mondrian as an artist. His evolution into abstraction, through paintings and drawings, is incredible - watching this slow stylistic transition encouraged us to ask ourselves: how do we define an artwork as “abstract”?
[1] Inferring Compositional Style in the Neo-plastic Paintings of Piet Mondrian by Machine Learning David Andrzejewski, David G. Stork, Xiaojin Zhu, and Ron Spronk. Electronic Imaging: Computer Image Analysis in the Study of Art (SPIE 2010)
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