Dutch Contemporary Art
-- De Stijl & Piet Mondrian
Introduction
Most people think of tulips, canals and bicycles in Amsterdam, farms and windmills in the lowlands, or red light-districts and marijuana when it comes to the Netherlands. However, the Netherlands is extraordinarily rich in arts and experienced a glorious era of artistic achievements that historians often call the Golden Age of Art in the 17th century. There were many famous artists such as Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, or Johannes Vermeer. Later famous artists included Vincent Van Gogh. In the early 20th century, De Stijl - a Dutch art movement which was considered as the re-emergence of Dutch art - had a huge impact on the world. Piet Mondrian, as pioneer of the De Stijl movement, shines not only in the art of the Netherlands, but in contemporary culture worldwide.
Dutch Art Revolution: The De Stijl movement
The magazine De Stijl, Dutch for “The Style”, born in Leiden in the Netherlands, was published by the Dutch painters, designers, and writers Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian. They realised that the Netherlands lacked its own style in the 20th century. This issue seemed to be a universal concern, but it was actually a national cultural crisis.
This starts from the war history of this country. Since the 17th century, the Netherlands was involved in a series of wars. After the Anglo-Dutch Wars, it lost its Asian colonies to Britain. With the Treaty of Breda in 1667, the Dutch allowed the English to keep New Netherland; the North American colony was renamed “New York” in the same year. On the other hand, the southern Netherlands was in the Franco-Dutch War with France, and it unwisely mingled in the disputes between France and Austria over succession to the throne. The Netherlands gradually lost its influence and power in Europe and became a buffer zone in the Anglo-French confrontation.
This starts from the war history of this country. Since the 17th century, the Netherlands was involved in a series of wars. After the Anglo-Dutch Wars, it lost its Asian colonies to Britain. With the Treaty of Breda in 1667, the Dutch allowed the English to keep New Netherland; the North American colony was renamed “New York” in the same year. On the other hand, the southern Netherlands was in the Franco-Dutch War with France, and it unwisely mingled in the disputes between France and Austria over succession to the throne. The Netherlands gradually lost its influence and power in Europe and became a buffer zone in the Anglo-French confrontation.
In terms of culture, the Netherlands encountered a similar situation. The southern part of the Netherlands is basically rooted in French culture, while the northern part of the Netherlands is deeply influenced by Germany. At the end of the 19th century, Art Nouveau started in France, and there was an Arts and Crafts movement in Britain; Germany had the Jugendstil movement at the same time. Dutch intellectuals, despite having had the glory of the Golden Age, wondered: Where is our style?
De Stijl was intended to be the answer. Dutch neoplasticism (also called De Stijl) was inspired by Russian avant-garde artists, who were characterised by nontraditional, aesthetic innovation and initial unacceptability. When the Russian artists were persecuted by the Soviet Union, the De Stijl revolution, in pursuit of a utopian ideal of a total-artwork, had taken root and blossomed in the Netherlands.
Mondrian: Red, Blue and Yellow
Mondrian was one of the core figures of De Stijl. He believed that Art is higher than reality and has no direct relation to reality. To approach the spiritual in art, the artist should make as little use as possible of reality, because reality is opposed to the spiritual. We find ourselves in the presence of an abstract art. Art should be above reality; otherwise it would have no value for man. His art concerned nature searching for universal values and aesthetics.
Composition with Red Blue and Yellow in 1930 is a well-known representative work of art by Piet Mondrian. Mondrian contributes to constructing an abstract visual language through the primary colours red, blue and yellow, and through vertical and horizontal lines. By this means, he gives an expression to the ‘universal’ through the absolute harmony of the individual pictorial elements. |
Ontdek Mondriaan from Gemeentemuseum on Vimeo. |
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Unprecedentedly, De Stijl and Mondrian swept the world, deeply influencing different realms like fashion, architecture, philosophy and so on. There was an iconic Yves Saint Laurent tribute dress, a series of handbags, sneakers, stocks, cakes as well as furniture, covers, and everything you can imagine. The influence of De Stijl and Mondrian has been felt as much in architecture. Beyond the 1920s architect Gerrit Rietveld and J.P. Oud, the numerous examples of the Mondrianesque in the local vernacular have ranged from hotels and apartment buildings named “Mondrian” in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and Bratislava, to a sculpture studio in Centralia, Washington. |
conclusion
Throughout Dutch art history, there have been many talented artists. Rembrandt and Van Gogh are counted among the greatest masters of art history in different eras; their art embodies qualities that are believed to be symbolic of the country. While Mondrian and De Stijl are the Dutch version in the contemporary arts, they propagate their artistic philosophy of pure abstraction and universality by using only straight lines and rectangular forms, and primary colours, which become an art revolution and have strongly impacted various realms around the world.
Sources and Further Reading
Barr, A. (1952). De stijl. The Bulletin of the Museum of Modern Art, 20(2), 6-6. doi:10.2307/4058213
Samuel, F. (2005). De Stijl and dutch modernism. Journal of Design History, 18(2), 224-225.
James, M. S. (1963). Mondrian and the Dutch Symbolists. Art Journal,23(2), 103. doi:10.2307/774505.
Denker, S. (1982). De Stijl: 1917–1931, visions of utopia. Art Journal, 42(3), 242-246. doi:10.1080/00043249.1982.10792803
White, M. (2003). De Stijl and Dutch Modernism. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Tillim, S., & Seuphor, M. (1957). Piet Mondrian: His life and work. College Art Journal, 16(4), 355-355. doi:10.2307/773503
Speyer, A. (1980). Piet Mondrian from the Museum of Modern Art. Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago (1973-1982), 74(2), 4-4. doi:10.2307/4104255
-- Hua
Samuel, F. (2005). De Stijl and dutch modernism. Journal of Design History, 18(2), 224-225.
James, M. S. (1963). Mondrian and the Dutch Symbolists. Art Journal,23(2), 103. doi:10.2307/774505.
Denker, S. (1982). De Stijl: 1917–1931, visions of utopia. Art Journal, 42(3), 242-246. doi:10.1080/00043249.1982.10792803
White, M. (2003). De Stijl and Dutch Modernism. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Tillim, S., & Seuphor, M. (1957). Piet Mondrian: His life and work. College Art Journal, 16(4), 355-355. doi:10.2307/773503
Speyer, A. (1980). Piet Mondrian from the Museum of Modern Art. Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago (1973-1982), 74(2), 4-4. doi:10.2307/4104255
-- Hua