Piet Mondrian on Simplicity Essay

Piet Mondrian on Simplicity

Art is beauty and fundamental in our everyday lives. Art is the way by which the artist expresses his/her feelings and conveys his/her hidden messages or thought to the public. The art is basically how beautifully you create things. Art may be of any kind, either painting or designing and it’s the representation of the artist skills and talent. In this study, we are going to discuss a great artist, Piet Mondrian, who is a great painter and belongs to Amersfoort, Netherlands. He used his art to elaborate the beauty of the architecture of the world in the simplest way. The simplicity is, in actual, the beauty of his art. He uses the primary colors and lines to capture the essence of the beautiful architecture of the World. He, in his painting, shows that art is not about creating things complicatedly rather it is the skill to express the art in the simplest way. He uses the natural beauty of art. In this study, I will focus on the simplicity in the Mondrian’s work and the way in which he reflects his idea of a utopian perception of harmonious and universal beauty.

In this study, the very first artwork of Mondrian, which I will discuss, is “Wood near Oil” (Postelnicu pp. 1-2). In this artwork, Mondrian painted a large canvas in the simplest way. This painting shows the phase of the artist in which he opened up his horizon and looked beyond the narrow boundaries of the Dutch School of Netherlands. The painting itself is the simplest transitional work which shows the art of the artist and his skills to shows a normal architecture of the nature in the most beautiful and simplest way.

The artist has done a great job by painting such canvases as Trees on the Gein where the blue parallel shafts are indicating the tree trunks, and he has used the yellow, blue, and red lines in a beautiful manner. He has always respected the nature, and that respect can clearly be seen in his picture. Mondrian has simply used the parallel shafts which are rising to the top of the picture and indicating the power and the beauty of nature. A yellow globe, between the swaying trees, stands for the sun and the spreading yellow shade between the trees is indicating the stylization of sunlit trees.

Mondrian is unique in his work by indicating the deep themes of nature in the simplest way. He had the skill to balance the stylization with the beauty of nature. He always selected the perfect color scheme to express the vision of beauty and uniqueness of nature. The painting is expressing the scene of nature in the very beautiful and sober way. However, the artist never compromised on the quality of work. He managed the simplicity with the rigorous stylization and great quality.  On the other hand, the brushwork, color, and the rhythm of the Mondrian are appreciable. His artwork indicates the foreign influences and shows his unique vision of nature and the architecture of the World (Riley pp. 751–753).

However, the approach of Mondrian is unique. He has shown a new view of nature and has provided a new vision of nature and the world. He has shown the beautiful forces existing in nature which is the center of attraction of the world. By using a lining architecture and the art of his brushwork, he has highlighted the simplest beauty of nature. This artwork is the proof of Mondrian’s fresh approach towards nature, human thought and human feelings (Blotkamp and Mondrian).

Mondrian has developed an original style of his artwork that gives a clear vision and expression to his belief in the power of color and light to the audience. In actual, the unique approach of the artist towards these Trees on the Gein and the selection of colors, showing the rising of moon, and his use of lining as an architecture of the nature not only catches the attraction of the people but also gives a new vision to the people about the beauty and the architecture of the world (P. Mondrian pp. 1).

The second artwork of the Mondrian is, “Broadway Boogie-Woogie.” In this work, Mondrian has represented his escape from Europe to New York City. This artwork is the simple peace to show the outbreak of the World War II. He simply has shown the city’s architecture in a most simple, adorable, and attractive way. Mondrian was fascinated with the American Jazz, and his art of boogie-woogie is simply synchronized with the approach to the melody of American Jazz. He has represented the dynamic rhythm in his artwork by the destruction of natural appearance (Mondrian and Bois pp. 174-179).

In this artwork, Mondrian replaced the black grid of his canvases with the yellow lines along with the square points of red and blue. He has used chromatic pulses theme which is interrupted by the light gray and create the canvas paths. His this simple use of squares and color combinations has shown the architecture of the city and the movement of the traffic which shows the rhythms of jazz and the blinking electric lights enhances the beauty of his use selection of colors. This great artist’s work was not bound to one specific field rather he was the one who could see the beauty in nature, style in architecture, and modernism in constructions. He never used any complex theme for the representation of anything, and this is shown in his artwork of Broadway Boogie-Woogie (P. Mondrian pp. 2).

Mondrian artwork was not only attractive but was full of contrasts and expressions. In this artwork, he has used the square blocks of different colors which can express thousands of feelings to the one who want to understand the theme of the painting. His artwork, Broadway Boogie-Woogie, at one place is indicating the glory of the life of New York City, and on the other hand, it is also representing the synchronization of the American Jazz Music. At on hand, this artwork is indicating the blinking lights, traffic, and movement of lives in the city and on the other hand it is showing the rhythm of the Jazz music and its sparkling effects on lives. His work is simply amazing and highly appreciable.

Mondrian’s early paintings were mostly based on the large planes and long continuous lines. However, this new pattern of his painting is the most striking aspect where he has used the theme of music notes which not only shows the fast life of New York but also shows the rhythmic architecture of the city. In the simplest way, the artist has explained the life of the city. With the combination of just lines and squares and colors, he has shown the complete living style of that specific area of the World. This is the great skill of the artist that how he has explained each and everything about the city by just using his brushes and colors in the simplest and unique way. After having a look at such great work with deep concepts which can neglect the simplicity along with the beauty of the work of Mondrian (Melikian pp.1-4)?

Finally and conclusively, Mondrian has used the architecture of the city, the beauty of nature, the living of the people, blinking theme of the traffic, and syncopation of Jazz rhythm in the simplest and unique way. His work is real of great appreciation and admiration. This painting shows that Mondrian had always been inclined and attracted by the music and so he loved to use the music themes in his painting in the unique and most attractive way (P. Mondrian pp.1-3).

The third artwork of Mondrian is the “Lighthouse at Westkapelle.” In this work, Mondrian has painted the lighthouse with loose pointillist technique. This is the great approach of the painter which belongs to the preceding work of 1908. In the twentieth century, the artists used to work on such themes, such as Windmill in Sunlight. This art seemed to be the digital art, but it’s the actual hand art of the great painter, Mondrian.

In this artwork, the painter has done a great job by sketching the light house with the great color theme and geometrical shapes. In this little sketch, Mondrian has used different pictorial possibilities aspects. In all artworks of the Mondrian, the color theme had played a vital role to catch the attraction of the public and to give a meaningful theme to the art. In this work too, the Mondrian has used a unique color combination which is no longer concerned with the contrast of the surrounded things. However, his simplest use of color and brushing skills has made the things able to show the convincing unity with their surroundings. And this is what called the beauty of Mondrian artwork (Morrisson pp. 86–97).

Mondrian has so simply and beautifully sketched the tower which merges the color of the sky with the upward movement, producing a consonant and showing a great power and purity to the audience. This work was presented by Mondrian in 1909 during the exhibition in Amsterdam Museum. He was the one who started the renewal of painting. He knew the technique to use the brush to catch the attraction of the audience. He never used any complicated theme rather he wanted to convey the beauty of nature and the beauty of the architecture of the World in the simplest way (P. Mondrian pp.149-151).

Mondrian’s approach towards things was different. A normal eye can never see the lighthouse as the symbol of power, but Mondrian not only observed its architecture but also sketched its vision in a unique way. His stippling technique, his use of color, the way to evoke the unity of nature, and the way of using vivid color are the evidence of his great approach toward the architecture of nature and the world. He gave a new vision of nature by using his brush and the colors (Troy pp. 75–80.).

In this artwork, the use of yellow and blue color, geometrical shaping, and the theme of power by showing the upward movement of the lighthouse towards the sky shows his simple way of artwork to show the deep concepts of the architecture. And this is the beauty of Mondrian’s work (P. Mondrian pp. 1-3).

In the last, I will discuss the artwork of the Mondrian, “Dying Chrysanthemum.” Mondrian had sketched so many flower paintings for which he used oil paints to express his vision towards nature (Roob pp. 14–14.). He used to express the beauty in a unique way. In this artwork, he has used the chalk colors and the linings, the softness of petals, and the dying theme of flower in very simple and beautiful way. This artwork shows that the artist used to observe nature very deeply and wanted to find out the beauty in everything even in the dying Chrysanthemum (Riley pp. 49-53).

This artwork also shows the intense respect for the artist, Mondrian, towards nature. This work is the clear evidence of the artist’s clear observation. The petals and the flowers are not only clearly observed but also the artist has sketched this beauty of nature in a very respective and attentive manner. Also, Mondrian had an idea that which color will express which feeling and so he has used deep and crisp colors for the outlining of flowers and leaf. This great work shows the flower’s transition from one tonic value to other. The color combination and the theme of this artwork show the clear observation of the artist and his great approach towards balancing the horizontal forces (Muehlig pp. 71-79).

Most of the poets also symbolize Mondrian’s work, especially his flower paintings, to the nude creature. They consider that Mondrian has used his art skill to express one simple thing with different meaning. Everyone can use his different approach towards his artwork, and every concept and theme will fit his work because his work is not an ordinary work rather it is a simple and unique approach towards the beauty and architecture of nature (BRENSON pp.3-11).

Conclusion:

Mondrian is the great artist who has sketched his great work in which he showed the different approached towards the beauty of nature and the architecture of the World. Mondrian is not only the best artist in the way that he used his brush in a right way but also his simplest geometrical sketching with deep concepts of his artwork is appreciable. He was different in his approach. He had the skill to use his brush in a geometrical way to either represent the innocence and beauty of nature or the glory and stylization of architecture. He wanted to express his vision towards nature, architect, glory, music, rhythm, synchronization, beauty, and combinations.

Starting from “Wood near Oil” and then to “Broadway Boogie-Woogie,” “Lighthouse at Westkapelle,” and then “Dying Chrysanthemum” shows the artist’s approach towards different aspects of life. In one artwork he is beautifying the nature, in the second artwork he is synchronizing the music with New York’s life, in the third artwork he is indicating the power of lighthouse by using a color combination, and finally, in last artwork, he is showing the transition of innocence and the glory of flowers. This study is the clear evidence of his simple approach towards complex nature. He was the one who used his unique vision to produce a great artwork to the people.

Work Cited

Blotkamp and Piet Mondrian. Mondrian: The Art of Destruction. London: Reaktion, 1994.

BRENSON, MICHAEL. “Review/Art; The Flowers That Show Mondrian Had a Softer, More Intimate Side.” New York Times (1991).

Melikian. “Piet Mondrian’s Radical Leap.” The New York Times (1995): 1-4.

Mondrian, Piet and Alain Bois. Piet Mondrian 1872-1944. . Boston: Bulfinch Prints, 1995.

Mondrian, Piet. “Broadway Boogie Woogie.” Museum of Modern Art [US] (2011).

—. “Broadway Boogie-Woogie, 1942 by Piet Mondrian.” Masterpieces of Piet Mondrian (2011): 2.

—. “Lighthouse in Westkapelle, 1910 by Piet Mondrian.” Masterpieces of Piet Mondrian (2011).

—. “Woods near Oele, 1908 by Piet Mondrian.” Masterpieces of Piet Mondrian (2011): 1.

Mondrian, Piet. Mondrian: From Figuration to Abstraction. . London: Thames and Hudson, 1988.

Morrisson, Mark S. “Occult Chemistry and the Theosophical Aesthetics of the Subatomic World.” RACAR: Revue d’Art Canadienne / Canadian Art Review (2009): pp. 86–97. www.jstor.org/stable/42630795.

Muehlig, Linda D. Master Drawings from the Smith College Museum of Art. Hudson Hills, 2000.

Postelnicu, Alex. “Bos Bij Oele (Woods near Oele)1908 by Piet Mondrian.” Curiator Beta (2013): 1-2.

Riley, Bridget. Mondrian: Nature to Abstraction. London: Tate Gallery Print, 1997.

—. “Mondrian: The ‘Universal’ and the ‘Particular’. .” The Burlington Magazine (1996): pp. 751–753.

Roob, Rona. “Mondrian at MoMA. From the Archives: Early Collectors of Mondrian in America.” Museum of Modern Art (1995): pp. 14–14. .

Troy, Nancy. “To Be Continued: A Note on Some Recent Mondrians.” Journals, primary sources, and now BOOKS (1983): pp. 75–80.