Piet Mondrian

Piet Mondrian was a Dutch painter and one of the most influential figures in modern abstract art.

Piet Mondrian was a Dutch painter and one of the most influential figures in modern abstract art. He helped found the De Stijl movement and developed a highly geometric style built from straight lines, right angles, and primary colours. His work is closely associated with Neoplasticism and had a major impact on 20th-century abstraction.

Early life and training

Mondrian was born Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, on 7 March 1872. He later studied at the Academy for Fine Art in Amsterdam. His early work included more representational landscapes before he moved toward abstraction.

De Stijl and Neoplasticism

In 1917, Mondrian cofounded De Stijl with Theo van Doesburg. The movement rejected visually perceived reality as subject matter, aiming for pure abstraction. Mondrian developed Neoplasticism, a theory of art based on simplified forms, primary colours, and vertical and horizontal lines.

Abstract style

Mondrian’s mature paintings are known for grids of black horizontal and vertical lines and blocks of primary colour, often with black, white, and grey. He used this reduced visual language to express order, harmony, and spiritual balance, seeking a universal pictorial language through geometric abstraction.

Later years and legacy

Mondrian continued refining his abstract style after leaving Europe and died in New York City on 1 February 1944. He is widely regarded as a foundational artist in modern abstraction and a major influence on later modernist movements. His geometric style also influenced designers and artists internationally, including in Canada.