Piet Mondrian, 1872-1944, was a Dutch painter born as Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan, He worked in Paris and was heavily influenced by the work of Picasso and Braque who were developing cubism. Mondrian's early work shows influences of impressionism, post-impressionism and pointillism. The first picture below shows strong influences of Paul Cezanne; although clearly three dimensional the picture surface is beginning to break into two-dimensional shapes. There are recognisable objects such as books, glasses and some cheeses in a cloth. The top right of the painting clearly suggests some depth of field.
Piet Mondrian, Still Life with Gingerpot I, 1911
However, in the second slightly later picture analytical cubism has begun to be seen. That is the early stage of cubism as distinct from the later synthetic cubism which was where Picasso and Braque had begun to make collages from newspaper and other items applied to the picture surface. In the second picture, books and glasses can just about be made out but the painting is virtually two-dimensional (of course, the painting is two-dimensional but the point is that no attempt to create any depth is made). The surface, apart from the Gingerpot itself, is really just a series of shapes. The range of colours is very limited and the style is geometric.
| Piet Mondrian, Still Life with Gingerpot II, 1911-12
Mondrian is more well-known for his later work using only
horizontal and vertical lines and black plus the primary colours. He rejected
references to the outside world pushing toward pure abstraction. His use of
asymmetrical balance and of simplification were crucial in the development of
modern art, and his iconic abstract works remain influential in design and
familiar in popular culture to this day.
Composition in Blue, Yellow and Red. Piet Mondrian 1942
"...forbidding, ascetic, pure, impersonal, ideal, clear beyond the mess of an ordinary life...."
I'm listening to Mozart's Symphony No.40 K550)in G Minor,
the familiar first movement - Allegro. Listen here. |
10 comments:
Ah, Bazza, old chap.
A rather fascinating selection of art by Mondrian. Rubik would be proud.
Say hello to Mozart for me.
Cheers and toodle pip,
Gary
I love Mondrian's "Still Life with Gingerpot I" and many of his other florals and landscapes from those 1908-1912 years. Even in the middle of WW1, his Farm Near Duivendrecht 1916 was repeating those interesting lights and representative lines of Gingerpot I.
But although most people will know and value the later geometric Mondrians better, I never did :(
Hello Bazza, It is interesting that in the first realistic and representational painting, the colorful and exotic ginger jar stands out and glows like a pearl. In the second painting, the ordinary objects are fading into the background, but the blue jar with its associations beyond the mundane still grabs our attention. Finally, in his later work, all representation is gone, but the connotations evoked by the exotic and foreign jar are still present in the colorful panels.
--Jim
Hi Bazza - how fascinating to see the three works ... I really enjoyed the look and your notes to the pictures ... cheers Hilary
Gary: Rubik would have been far too square for Mondrian - he was into rectangles.
Hels: I'm with you; I much prefer the style of painting in both Gingerpot works to the later stuff. But it can't be denied that he had a long-lasting influence on many aspects of 20th century art, design and architecture.
Jim: Interesting analysis, with which I agree. I like the way that the influence of Cubism has become very obvious in the second painting although the Gingerpot itself has hardly changed.
Hilary: It's very interesting isn't it? I do prefer the first two paintings though.
Hi bazza,
I was only familiar with the iconic and influential red, blue and yellow painting of Mondrian, so another informative post for me, bazza!
Best Wishes,
David.
David: Yes, that is certainly a much more familiar image. I don't find it so engaging but it it does have an important place in the art of last century (remember that?)
Post a Comment