Mondrian : nature to abstraction : from the Gemeentemuseum, The Hague

1997

Summary

In his early work, Mondrian painted in the style of the Hague school, but his style changed dramatically in his forties after his encounters with van Gogh, Pointillism and then Cubism. His paintings and drawings of trees exemplify this transition. The Mondrian collection in the Gemeentenmuseum is particularly strong on the early works, when the artist painted in the style of the Hague school. Mondrian's style changed dramatically in his forties, after his encounter between 1908 and 1911 with van Gogh, Pointillism and then Cubism.;A central feature in the exhibition and catalogue will be the group of drawings and paintings of trees. These show the impact of Cubism on Mondrian's work after 1911 and exemplify the transition from naturalism to a more abstract depiction based on a linear scaffold of arcs and straight lines. A group of later works made during an entirely abstract style based on planes of primary colours and linear grids. By the early 1920s all naturalistic references are removed. This new abstract reality, based on Mondrian's writings on "neo-plasticism", was refined throughout the 1920s and 1930s. The final images in the exhibition coincide with the artist's departure from Europe to America.;This exhibition catalogue opens with essays from the selectors of the exhibition, the artist Bridget Riley, Sean Rainbird of the Tate Gallery and Hans Janssen from the Gemeentemuseum.