Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red Blue and Yellow

Piet Mondrian painted Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow in 1930. The borders of colored rectangles are defined by broad, black brushstrokes. The only colors employed in it, except black and white, are red, blue, and yellow, as the title suggests. Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow by Mondrian from 1930 is strikingly similar to the work. This is one of the most famous paintings of all time.

Mondrian's work is a small picture (18 inches by 18 inches), but it has a significant impact on art history since it reflects a dramatic reduction of form, color, and composition to their most fundamental elements. In an arrangement of squares and rectangles that prefigured minimalism, Mondrian applied pigment in flat, unmixed patches while keeping his color palette to the fundamental triad (red, yellow, and blue) as well as black and white.

His usage of the word "composition," which refers to how the forms are arranged on the canvas, indicates that he is experimenting with abstract combinations. Prior to the start of the First World War, Mondrian had traveled back to the Netherlands, where he would stay until the conflict was over. He furthered his stylistic development while living in the Netherlands, eschewing compositions that were either too static or too dynamic, and coming to the conclusion that asymmetrical arrangements of geometric (rather than organic) shapes in primary (rather than secondary) colors best represent universal forces. He also coupled his interest in philosophy, spirituality, and his creation of an abstract style with his conviction that abstraction was advancing humanity.

Artist: Piet Mondrian

Created: 1930