DE STIJL

ART MOVEMENT

S U B M I T T E D B Y,
K.SUBALAKSHMI,
11 6 0 11 0 0 1 5 6 6 .
 “DE STIJL” means “The Style”, also
known as neoplasticism.

It is a school of art founded in Holland in

1917 (to 1931) typically using rectangular forms and
the primary colors plus black and white and
asymmetric balance.
The harmony and order was established
through a reduction of elements to pure geometric
forms and primary colors. Red and Blue Chair
designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1917 .

CHARACTERISTICS of DE STIJL:
Ideas of spiritual harmony and order
simplified visual compositions.
Straight lines – vertical, horizontal &
diagonal square & rectangular forms,
Primary colours – red, blue and yellow,
primary values – black, white and grey,
asymmetrical, geometrical form and shape with
very technical construction.
OBJECTIVES :
• To rebuild society after WW1- essential ordering of structure.
• Construct an ideal ‘model’ for a new world.
• Achieving a utopian perception of spiritual harmony.
• Would function as a sign for n ethical view of society.
• To show that art and design have the power to change the future.

ARTISTS AND ARCHITECTS :

• Theo Van Doesburg
• Piet Mondrian
• Gerrit Rietveld
• Bart van der Leck
• Vilmos Huszár
• J. J. P. Oud
GERRIT RIETVELD :
• Dutch furniture designer and architect.
• One of the principal members of De Stijl.
• Famous for his Red and Blue chair design.
• The chair was designed for the Rietveld Schroder House built in
1924 which is a UNESCO world heritage site.
CHARACTERISTICS :
• Precise geometric forms of flat squares and rectangles.
• Play on positive and negative emphasis.
• Asymmetry.
• Colors: primary, black, white and gray.
• Horizontal and vertical lines.
• Paintings were never framed as they were believed to be intimate
part of the world.
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTICS :
• Flat roof, asymmetry, geometric forms, white or gray walls with
details highlighted by primary colors.
• Compositions generally emphasize the separation of planes, the
application of primary colors, and the spatial relationship of solids to
voids.
• Rectangular shapes define the geometric repetition of windows,
doors, and blocks of color.
• Window sizes vary on an individual building from large to
small. They may be arranged in patterns or one unit on a large wall.
• Flat roofs are typical, and distinctly different from other
structures.
FURNITURE :
• Furniture and decorative arts are conceived as one with the
architecture and interior design.
• Designers similarly emphasize structure, construction, proportion, and
the balance between solid and void relationships.
• They carefully place individual parts to develop visual balance and
harmony so that all parts are appreciated alone as well as in context with the
whole furniture piece.
• Chairs and tables are the most important conveyors of concepts.
• Furniture complements the architectonic character of an interior
through its emphasis on straight lines, rectangular planes, and geometric forms.
SYMBOLS & MOTIFS DECORATIVE ARTS :
There are no decorative motifs in Decorative arts are limited in De
Stijl design.
Instead, beauty Stijl houses. Artwork is prohibite devolves from
simple, unadorned because the house itself is a piece surfaces arranged in
geometric of art.
Few designers create relationships and from construction
decorative arts.
MODERN INTERPRETATIONS :
DE STIJL NOW A DAYS :

The fact of simplifying things to pure abstrction of little squares is

such a powerfull idea that even the newest things of our days uses it as a main
reference.

The example of windows logo still

preserve the dichotomy between horizontal
and vertical lines and diagonal
composition, which was a relevant
discussing issuse in De stijl participants.