Examples
Bart van der Leck, Composition, 1918-1920
Piet Mondrian, Square Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue, 1921-1925
Theo van Doesburg, Color Construction: Project for a Private House, 1923
The Basics The Netherlands, 1917 - 1931 France & Germany, Germany, then spread to Poland, Pola nd, Italy, Great Britain, U.S. Neoplasticism - aesthetic philosophy Spread via periodic publication titled De Stijl, begun by Theo van Doesburg Based on an ideology o universality
World Timeline 1914-1918, World War War I - Mostly Europe 1905-1920, Expressionism - Germany 1915-1919, Suprematism - Russia 1919-1934, Constructivism - Russia Common goal o post-war artists to work through the arts to achieve an ideal uture, when all the walls that separate men would be broken down and when society would be truly integrated and capable o constructing a utopian urban environment o abstract orms.
The Netherlands During WWI Neutral, although continuous pressure rom both sides to join 1917 – universal male surage, proportional representation Long history o trade interdependence Depression early 1920’s – 1925 due to dependence on Germany
De Stijl - reaction to chaos and destruction o War
Ideology Theosophist virtues o Mondrian as platorm Sought to set the stage or a new social order Pure and good design came rom pure abstraction o the visual - primary colors and straight lines Hoped that the modern urban environment would one day be transormed into an abstract, aesthetically balanced composition reelcting the new social era they envisioned Insisted on an uncompromisingly severe stylistic purity - considered their principles to be morally justiable as as agents o social reorm
As a Movement “De Stijl” chosen or allusion to a single stylistic credo to which they would all subscribe Cohesive only in the sense that those involved shared a common set o ethical and aesthetic principles at one time or another between 1917 and 1932 Came to the same standard seperately, seperately, continued with varied interests Characteristically “De Stijl” rom collaborative eorts
Piet Mondrian-Before Dutch, born 1872 First painted still lies and landscape 1911 - emphasis on composition, ull simple rhythms, 2-3 colors Interest in Theosophy - synthesizes science, religion and philosophy in pursuit o ultimate truth Used abstract visual language to represent universal harmony Analytic cubist, replacing real roms with geometric visualized theosophyic concepts Eventually moved to ull abstraction
Piet Mondrian, The Red Tree, 1908
Piet Mondrian, Windmill in the Sun, 1908
Piet Mondrian, Apple Tree in Bloom, 1912
Piet Mondrian, Composition #6, 1914
Piet Mondrian of De Stijl The source o philosophy and visual orm Neoplasticism - primary colors, right angles, straight lines on white background Stuck to the rules Believed true reality was established through balance o unequal but equivalent oppositions Continued in the same style ater the end o the movement
Piet Mondrian, Composition III with Colored Planes, 1917 Piet Mondrian, Composition with lines, 1917
Piet Mondrian, Composition, 1922
Piet Mondrian, Composition with two lines, 1931
After the Movement
Piet Mondrian, New York City I, 1942
Piet Mondrian, Broadway Boogie-Woogie, 1942-43
The Review Covered all areas – architecture, painting, sculpture, environmental planning, etc. Incorporated infuences o artist all over – did not have the same aesthetic limits as neoplasticism 1st issue – Oct 1917, ater meeting with Mondrian, Bart van der Leck, Vilmos Huszar, Georges Vantongerloo, Jan Wils, Antony Kok, Robert van’t Ho, Johannes Pieter Oud, later Gerrit Rietveld. Many believed oundation o movement to be Mondrian’s “De Nieuwe Beelding in de Schiderkunst” (New Plastics in Painting)
Manifesto included in intro 1. There is an old and a new consiousness o the age. THe old one is directed towards the individual. THe new one is i s directed towards the universal. The strufe o the individual against the universal may be seen both in the world war and in modern art. 2. The war is destroying the old world with its content: individual predominacne in every eld. 3. The new art has brought to light that which is contained in the new consiousness o the age: a relationship o equality between teh univeral and the individual. 6. Thereore the ounders o the new culture call upon all who believe in reorm o art and culture to destroy these obstacles to development, jsut as in teh plastic arts - by doing away with natural orm- they ahve eliminated that which stood in the way o pure artistic expression, the logical conclusion o every artistic concept.
Theo van Doesburg Founder and guiding spirit o movement and magazine Born Christian Emil Kupper 1883, adopted painter name rom stepather Capabilites revealed in publishing activities Traveled through Europe, interacting with many artists Involvement in other movements, like Dada Transer o principles to 3D environment Elementarism - dynamic tension via the diagonal
Theo van Doesburg, Countercomposition V, 1924
Theo van Doesburg, Composition IV, 1917, stained glass
Theo van Doesburg, Simultaneous Counter-Composition, 1929
Theo van Doesburg, Arithmetical Composition, 1930
Theo van Doesburg, Color Design for Amsterdam Universtity Hall, 1923
Theo van Doesburg, Cinema-Dance Hall, Cafe Aubette, Strasbourg,
Bart van der Leck Let movement ater rst issue o De Stijl, disagreed with van Doesburg’s theoretical positions
Van der Leck, Batavier Line Poster, 1916
Van der Leck, Composition 1917-4 known as Leaving the Factory, 1917
J.J.P. Oud
Architect, one o the ounders Municipal housing architect or Rotterdam 1918 to 1933 Socially progressive residential projects
J.J.P. Oud, Elevation of the Cafe De Unie, 1925
J.J.P. Oud, Project for a Factory in Purmerend, 1919 J.J.P. Oud, Small, semi-permanent house in Rotterdam, 1923
J.J.P. Oud, Workers Housing Development Hoek van Holland, 1924
Vilmos Huszar Architect Completely abstract by 1917 Like Doesburg, wanted to transer color and structure practice to architecture Problem o the corner - used color to compositionally unite suraces - to create an uninterrupted visual experience dictated by color rather than architecture
Vilmos Huszar, Color Applications, Bedroom of Bruynzeel House, Voorburg, 1918-19
Vilmos Huszar, Spatial Color Composition in Gray, Brugman House,
Vilmos Huszar and Gerrit Rietveld,
Gerrit Rietveld Trained as a cabinet maker and jeweler 1919 - joined De Stijl and became an a n architect Best realized the ideas o De Stijl Complete abstraction o a chair - reduced to its undamental structure Schroder House - sliding walls on top foor
Gerrit Rietveld, Red and Blue Chair, 1917
Gerrit Rietveld, Schroder House, Utrecht, 1924
Differences Mondrian and Doesburg - use o diagonal, against neoplasticism - importance o aecting spatial realm Real image reerence vs. total abstraction Involvement in other movements
Theo van Doesburg and Kurt Schwitters, “Kleine Dada Soiree” poster, 1922
Relations with other movements Dada - Maniestation o a desire to join art and lie Expressionism - viewed abstract designs as proposals or the uture Constructivism - new orm o utopian architecture a rchitecture projects or the armations o the new
Lasting Impression Huge infuence on modern architecture Asymmetry Strict use o the grid in graphic design Ultimate basic representation to initiate mental image -logo design
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