PIET MONDRIAN

(1872-1944)

Piet Mondrian was a Dutch painter, born in 1872 and died in 1944.Mondrian was an avant-garde (“New Art”) painter, who evolved from naturalism and symbolism to abstraction or non-representational art.

Let’s discuss:What is Naturalism? What is Abstract or Non-representational Art?

Naturalism

• Naturalism in art refers to the depiction of

realistic objects in a natural setting.

Mondrian began painting landscapes , windmills , fields and rivers of his native Holland.

Eventually, Mondrian stopped painting his landscapes NATURALLY and moved on to less realistic and detailed paintings.

Árbol rojo, 1908 - 1909

Árbol rojo, 1908 - 1909Árbol rojo, 1908 - 1909

Manzano gris, 1912

Árbol

Do you see how Mondrian SIMPLIFIED the Tree?Does it still LOOK like a tree??

Piet Mondrian began to create Non-representational art. What do you think NON-REPRESENTATIONAL (ABSTRACT) art mean???

When the artist does not intend for it to look like anything in particular.

Notice how his paintings don’t look like something. They are just squares and rectangles that are only colored Red, Blue, and Yellow.

Why do you think he only used red, yellow and blue?

Mondrian used only the primary colors because he felt that they created the strongest and purest contrasts.

What is contrast?

RED YELLOW BLUE

The Primary Colors

CONTRASTCONTRAST

Light colors Dark colors

Large shapes Small shapes

Contrast is a principle of design that refers to the arrangement of opposite elements. This is so the

artist can create visual interest and drama.

What are some opposites in art?

Smooth texture Rough texture

Sometimes, Mondrian only used small amounts of black, rather than bold, thick lines.

In the 1940’s, Mondrian moved to New York City. This move had a big influence on his painting.

How do you think NYC influenced him?

Mondrian’s work has influenced many forms of art- not only painting: design, sculpture, decoration and architecture.

You can see Piet Mondrian’s Influence everywhere!

Mondrian Composition Cube• Think, Write, Pair, Share!• What is a Composition?

(Think of music. How is a composition similar in art?)

• What Elements of Art can you use to create different compositions? (How can you arrange them?)

Mondrian Composition Cube

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