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QUOTES
"While the expressive possibilities of
Neoplasticism are limited to two
dimensions (the plane), Elementarism
realizes the possibility of plasticism in
four dimensions, in the eld of time-
space."
Theo van Doesburg
"Why should something that no one nds
strange in music, be impossible in the art
of painting/sculpture? By comparing
works of art that do not represent an
object, is in our experience, the most
fruitful way of exercising our receptivity
for them."
Piet Mondrian
"The three principal colors are essentially
yellow, blue, and red. They are the only
colors existing ... Yellow is the movement
of the ray (vertical) ... blue is he
contrasting color to yellow (horizontal
rmament) ... red is the mating of yellow
and blue."
M. H. J. Schoenmaekers
"There is an old and a new
consciousness of the age. The old one is
directed towards the individual. The new
one is directed towards the universal.
The struggle of the individual against the
universal may be seen both in the world
war and in modern art."
Theo van Doesburg, from his 1918
manifesto
KEY ARTISTS
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Print movement page - De Stijl
De Stijl
Started: 1917
Ended: 1931
"We speak of concrete and not abstract painting because nothing is more concrete, more real
than a line, a color, a surface."
Synopsis
The Netherlands-based De Stijl movement embraced an abstract, pared-down aesthetic
centered in basic visual elements such as geometric forms and primary colors. Partly a
reaction against the decorative excesses of Art Deco, the reduced quality of De Stijl art was
envisioned by its creators as a universal visual language appropriate to the modern era, a time
of a new, spiritualized world order. Led by the painters Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian -
its central and celebrated gures - De Stijl artists applied their style to a host of media in the
ne and applied arts and beyond. Promoting their innovative ideas in their journal of the same
name, the members envisioned nothing less than the ideal fusion of form and function,
thereby making De Stijl in effect the ultimate style. To this end, De Stijl artists turned their
attention not only to ne art media such as painting and sculpture, but virtually all other art
forms as well, including industrial design, typography, even literature and music. De Stijl's
in uence was perhaps felt most noticeably in the realm of architecture, helping give rise to the
International Style of the 1920s and 1930s.
Key Ideas
Like other avant-garde movements of the time, De Stijl, which means simply "the style" in
Dutch, emerged largely in response to the horrors of World War I and the wish to remake
society in its aftermath. Viewing art as a means of social and spiritual redemption, the
members of De Stijl embraced a utopian vision of art and its transformative potential.
Among the pioneering exponents of abstract art, De Stijl artists espoused a visual language
consisting of precisely rendered geometric forms - usually straight lines, squares, and
rectangles--and primary colors. Expressing the artists' search "for the universal, as the
individual was losing its signi cance," this austere language was meant to reveal the laws
governing the harmony of the world.
Even though De Stijl artists created work embodying the movement's utopian vision, their
realization that this vision was unattainable in the real world essentially brought about the
group's demise. Ultimately, De Stijl's continuing fame is largely the result of the enduring
achievement of its best-known member and true modern master, Piet Mondrian.
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Theo van Doesburg
Artist Page
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Piet Mondrian
Artist Page
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J.J.P. Oud
Further External Info
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Vilmos Huszar
Further External Info
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Gerrit Rietveld
Further External Info
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Ilya Bolotowsky
Further External Info
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Georges
Vantongerloo
Further External Info
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Bart van der Leck
Further External Info
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Print movement page - De Stijl
Beginnings
In 1917, Theo van Doesburg founded the contemporary art journal De Stijl as a means of
recruiting like-minded artists in the formation of a new artistic collective that embraced an
expansive notion of art, infused by utopian ideals of spiritual harmony. The journal provided
the basis of the De Stijl movement, a Dutch group of artists and architects whose other
leading members included Piet Mondrian, J. J. P. Oud and Vilmos Huszar.
Adopting the visual elements of Cubism and Suprematism, the anti-sentimentalism of Dada,
and the Neo-Platonic mathematical theory of M. H. J Schoenmaekers, a mystical ideology tha
articulated the concept of "ideal" geometric forms, the exponents of De Stijl aspired to be far
more than mere visual artists. At its core, De Stijl was designed to encompass a variety of
artistic in uences and media, its goal being the development of a new aesthetic that would be
practiced not only in the ne and applied arts, but would also reverberate in a host of other art
forms as well, among them architecture, urban planning, industrial design, typography, music,
and poetry. The De Stijl aesthetic and vision was formulated in large response to the
unprecedented devastation of World War I, with the movement's members seeking a means
of expressing a sense of order and harmony in the new society that was to emerge in the
wake of the war.
Concepts and Styles
Pure Geometric Abstraction and the De Stijl Visual Language
De Stijl was the rst-ever journal devoted to abstraction in art, although the movement's artists
were not the rst to practice abstract art; other painters, perhaps most notably Wassily
Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich and Hans Arp, had earlier created nonobjective art, often
incorporating geometric forms in their work. But the artists and architects associated with De
Stijl - painters such as Mondrian, van Doesburg and Ilya Bolotowsky, and architects such as
Gerrit Rietveld and J. J. P. Oud - adopted what they perceived to be a purer form of geometry,
consisting of forms made up of straight lines and basic geometric shapes (largely rendered in
the three primary colors); these motifs provided the fundamental elements of compositions
that avoided symmetry and strove for a balanced relationship between surfaces and the
distribution of colors. In Neo-Plasticism in Pictorial Art, Mondrian explained: "As a pure
representation of the human mind, art will express itself in an aesthetically puri ed, that is to
say, abstract form. The new plastic idea cannot, therefore, take the form of a natural or
concrete representation."
Neo-Plasticism
Neo-Plasticism refers to the painting style and ideas developed by Piet Mondrian in 1917,
promoted by De Stijl. Denoting the "new plastic art," or simply "new art," the term embodies
Mondrian's vision of an ideal, abstract art form he felt was suited to the modern era.
Mondrian's essay Neo-Plasticism in Pictorial Art, which set forth the principles of the concept,
was published in twelve installments of the journal De Stijl in 1917-18. Mondrian described
Neo-Plasticism as a reductive approach to artmaking that stripped away traditional elements
of art, such as perspective and representation, utilizing only a series of primary colors and
straight lines. Mondrian envisioned that the principles of Neo-Plasticism would be
transplanted from the medium of painting to other art forms, including architecture and
design, providing the basis of the transformation of the human environment sought by De Stijl
artists. In Mondrian's words, a "pure plastic vision should build a new society, in the same way
that in art it has built a new plasticism."
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The concept of Neo-Plasticism was largely inspired by M. H. J. Schoenmaekers's treatise

Beginselen der Beeldende Wiskunde (The Principles of Plastic Mathematics), which proposed
that reality is composed of a series of opposing forces - among them the formal polarity of
horizontal and vertical axes and the juxtaposition of primary colors.

Neo-Plasticism was later promoted by the movement Cercle et Carre and three issues of its
eponymous journal appearing in 1930. Following Mondrian's visit to the U.S. in 1940, the style
spread to the U.S., where it was taken up by various American abstract artists.

Elementarism

While only horizontal and vertical lines were to be utilized in Neo-Plasticism, in 1925, van
Doesburg developed Elementarism, which attempted to modify the dogmatic nature of the
style by introducing the diagonal, a form that for him connoted dynamism - "a state of
continuous development." In "Painting and Sculpture: Elementarism (Fragment of a
Manifesto)," published in De Stijl in 1927, he wrote: "If all our physical movements are already
based upon Horizontal and Vertical, it is only an emphasis of our physical nature, of the natura
structure and functions of organisms if the work of art strengthens - although in an 'artistic
manner' - this natural duality in our consciousness."

Prizing horizontal and vertical lines for their connotation of stability, Mondrian strongly
disagreed with van Doesburg's newfound emphasis on the diagonal--a disagreement that
famously prompted Mondrian to secede from De Stijl shortly thereafter. For Mondrian, van
Doesburg's introduction of the diagonal amounted to artistic heresy; in Mondrian's view, the
Elementarist diagonal repudiated De Stijl's efforts to fully integrate all the elements of the
painting by creating tension between the composition and the picture plane.

Later Developments
De Stijl-inspired architecture, particularly by Rietveld and Oud, was built in the Netherlands
throughout the 1920s, all of which, interestingly enough, seemed to defy van Doesburg's
theory of Elementarism, instead utilizing clearly de ned horizontal and vertical lines. De Stijl
also had a major in uence on Bauhaus architecture and design; several members of De Stijl
taught at the Bauhaus, perhaps most importantly van Doesburg, who lectured there in 1921-
22. De Stijl's geometric visual language, along with its architectural concepts such as form
following function and the emphasis on structural components, would reverberate in Bauhaus
architectural practice, as well as the global idiom known as the "International Style."

With Theo van Doesburg's death in 1931, De Stijl lost its leader, and soon after faded from
existence. However, the movement's key ideas of pure geometric abstraction and the
relationship of form and function were maintained by many following van Doesburg's death,
and represent a fundamental contribution to modern and contemporary art, design, and
architecture. Many of Rietveld's buildings, for example, survive the longevity of the De Stijl
movement, and inspired a great many 20th-century architects, among them Mies van der
Rohe.

Beyond the realm of architecture, the pared-down De Stijl aesthetic in uenced many
subsequent artists and designers of the 20th century and beyond, among them the Abstract
Expressionists Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman, Hard-edge painters Frank Stella and
Frederick Hammersley, and Minimalists Donald Judd and Dan Flavin.

Important Art and Artists of De Stijl

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The below artworks are the most important in De Stijl - that both overview the major ideas of
the movement, and highlight the greatest achievements by each artist in De Stijl. Don't forget
to visit the artist overview pages of the artists that interest you.

Composition A (1920)
Artist: Piet Mondrian
Artwork description & Analysis: Composition A - whose title announces its nonobjective
nature by making no reference to anything beyond itself - is a good example of Mondrian's
geometric abstraction before it fully matured within the framework of the De Stijl aesthetic.
With its rectilinear forms made up of solid, outlined areas of color, the work re ects the artist's
experimentation with Schoenmaekers's mathematical theory and his search for a pared-down
visual language appropriate to the modern era. While here Mondrian uses blacks and shades
of grey, his paintings would later be further reduced, ultimately employing more basic
compositions and only solid blocks of primary colors.
Oil on canvas - The National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rome

Mechano-Dancer (1922)
Artist: Vilmos Huszar
Artwork description & Analysis: This early work employs the signature geometric shapes of
the De Stijl aesthetic, yet its layering of shapes and forms, and combination of horizontal,
vertical, and diagonal lines--along with the absence of color - re ect a different approach from
that of the movement's leading artists, van Doesburg and Mondrian. The work's suggestion of
a human gure - accomplished by the arrangement of geometric forms and placement of a
cube at the top, possibly representing a head - is also unique in De Stijl art. Mechano-Dancer's
evocation of a hybrid man-machine, also implied by its title, suggests the in uence of Dada
and Italian Futurism.
Photomontage - Private collection, New York

Red Blue Chair (1923)

Artist: Gerrit Rietveld
Artwork description & Analysis: Originally designed in 1918 but not fully realized until 1923,
when it incorporated the characteristic De Stijl scheme of primary colors, Red Blue Chair is
one of the canonical works of the movement. Rietveld envisioned a chair that played with and
transformed the space around it, consisting of rectilinear volumes, planes, and lines that
interact in unique ways, yet manage to avoid intersection. Every color, line, and plane is clearly
de ned, as if each comprised its own work that just happened to be used for a piece of
furniture. The simple assembly Rietveld deployed was quite intentional as well; he built the
chair out of standard lumber sizes available at the time, re ecting his goal of realizing a piece
of furniture that could be mass-produced as opposed to hand-crafted. Emphasizing its
manmade quality, Red Blue Chair also notably avoids the use of natural form, which furniture
designers tend to favor in order to emphasize the idea of physical comfort and convenience.
Painted wood - Museum of Modern Art, New York

Counter Composition V (1924)

Artist: Theo van Doesburg
Artwork description & Analysis: First introduced in 1924, van Doesburg's Counter
Compositions - his signature works - embody the artist's wish to move beyond the con nes of
De Stijl with his introduction of Elementarism. While van Doesburg continued to make use of
horizontal and vertical lines, he now prioritized the diagonal line; he described Elementarism
as "based on the neutralization of positive and negative directions by the diagonal and, as far
as color is concerned, by the dissonant. Equilibrated relations are not an ultimate result." The
titles of his Counter Compositions refer to the fact that the lines of the compositions are at a
45-degree angle to the sides of the picture rather than parallel to them, resulting in a newly
energized relationship between the composition and format of the canvas. As in the present
example, he repeatedly ventured beyond the three primary colors, including a triangle of grey
in addition to the primary colors, white, and black. At the time he painted this composition, De
Stijl was nding its own unique voice; paintings, furniture designs, and buildings produced by
those associated with the movement communicated how lines and colors should interact,
and how a work's appearance is just as essential as its function.
Oil on canvas - Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam

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Rietveld Schroder House (1924)

Artist: Gerrit Rietveld
Artwork description & Analysis: The Rietveld Schroder House is an important precursor to the
Bauhaus-inspired International Style, as well as the only building designed in complete
accordance with the De Stijl aesthetic. The house was commissioned in 1924 by Truus
Schroder-Schrader, who intended for the new home to be grand and open ("without walls"), a
veritable manifesto for how an independent modern woman should live her life. Featuring the
typical De Stijl palette of primary colors, black, and white, the building emphasizes its
architectural elements - slabs, posts, and beams - re ecting the movement's emphasis on
form, construction, and function in its architecture and design. In other ways, too, the design
represents a major departure from architectural convention and precedent. Inside, the rooms
are constructed as movable entities with portable walls. In addition, Rietveld's design makes
no attempt to interact with any of the surrounding buildings or roadways, suggesting its
presence as an isolated structure focusing inward instead of outward.
Concrete, brick, and plaster, wood, steel girders - Utrecht, The Netherlands

Arithmetic Composition (1929-30)

Artist: Theo van Doesburg
Artwork description & Analysis: Made close to the end of van Doesburg's life, Arithmetic
Composition re ects the artist's experimentation with abstract geometric shapes within a
diagonal composition, resulting in a dimensional plane that would not have the same visual
effect had the blocks been positioned vertically or horizontally. The work's diagonal
con guration, combination of pure positive and negative space (black forms against white
background), and incorporation of a curious backward "L" in the upper left corner, which
consumes one block, create a sense of movement, making the shapes appear as if they are
alternately moving toward and away from the viewer. However, unlike Mondrian's
characteristic vertical-and-horizontal paintings, which lend themselves to the suggestion of
guration, van Doesburg here creates an abstract artwork totally devoid of the possibility of
representation.
Oil on canvas - Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Switzerland

Related Art and Artists

Still Life with Chair Caning (1912)

Movement: Cubism
Artist: Pablo Picasso
Artwork description & Analysis: By 1912, Picasso and Braque had exhausted their
experiments with monochromatic color and with the illusion of low-relief sculpture across the
surface of the canvas. In Still Life with Chair Caning, Picasso reintroduces color and goes
further into experimentation with multiple perspectives. The image depicts a tabletop at a
café; Picasso shows various objects on the table from multiple points of view including the
knife, pieces of fruit, and wine glass that are in the top right of the image. Combining both
paint and collage, Picasso also incorporates a piece of oilcloth (a cheap tablecloth) that
resembles chair caning to reference to the type of seating common in a traditional café. The
work is playful in that Picasso conveys the transparent quality of the tabletop by making it
appear as if the caning of the chair can be seen through the glass. The spacing in the image,
however, is even atter than in previous works with no shading of objects, thus the café table
is not depicted illusionistically as if in three dimensions, but conceptually.

Finally, Picasso paints the words "JOU" that are both the rst three letters of the French word
for newspaper (Journal), thus referring both to the act of reading a newspaper at a café (the
folded newspaper itself can be seen on the left), and also spell the rst letters of the French
word for "play", signifying the playfulness and experimental quality of the image. Not only is
this the rst time that collaged elements were included in a work of high art, but it has been
argued that the bits of collaged newspaper reference the unstable political situation in Europe
and perhaps Picasso's own anarchist tendencies. Even though this work is now synonymous
with Cubist experiments, it was seen by few people at the time because Picasso did not show
his works at public exhibits, but rather displayed his ideas to like-minded (avant-garde)
collaborators.
Oil on canvas - National Gallery, London

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Suprematist Painting, Eight Red Rectangles (1915)

Movement: Suprematism
Artist: Kazimir Malevich
Artwork description & Analysis: The three levels of Suprematism were described by Malevich
as black, colored and white. Eight Red Rectangles is an example of the second, more dynamic
phase, in which primary colors began to be used. The composition is somewhat ambiguous,
since while on the one hand the rectangles can be read as oating in space, as if they were
suspended on the wall, they can also be read as objects seen from above. Malevich appears
to have read them in the latter way, since at one time he was fascinated by aerial
photography. Indeed he later criticized this more dynamic phase of his Suprematist
movement as 'aerial Suprematism,' since its compositions tended to echo pictures of the
earth taken from the skies, and in this sense departed from his ambitions for a totally
abstract, non-objective art. The uneven spacing and slight tilt of the juxtaposed shapes in
Eight Red Rectangles, as well as the subtly different tones of red, infuse the composition with
energy, allowing Malevich to experiment with his concept of "in nite" space.
Oil on canvas - Museum of Modern Art, New York

Homage to the Square: Dissolving/Vanishing (1951)

Movement: Bauhaus
Artist: Josef Albers
Artwork description & Analysis: Josef Albers described his most famous series, Homage to
the Square, as "platters to serve color." He began the series in 1949 and worked on it until his
death in 1976. This early version demonstrates his systematic approach to investigating the
optical effects of colors. With this series, Albers explored how colors change depending on
their placement within the composition. Although the series was created several years after
the Bauhaus movement, the work is typical of the experimental, modernist approach to form
and color that underpinned Bauhaus teaching. Teachers at the school believed that colors and
forms could be reduced to essentials and analyzed as separate components. That analysis
would yield understanding about the character and effects of these components, and that
understanding would result in better design.

In 1999, Howard Singerman wrote: "Over and over again in the teaching of art at the Bauhaus
and in its teaching in America, the re-creation of design as vision is represented by the eld or,
more familiarmly, by the picture plane as the gridded, ordered, law-bound rectangle with
which, and on which, art fundamentals begin. The rectange marks the teaching of modernism
as the visual arts, displacing and containing the human gure that stood at the center of the
academic ne arts."
Oil on masonite - Los Angeles County Museum of Art

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