De Stijl 1

De Stijl

Red and Blue Chair designed by Gerrit Rietveld in1917.

De Stijl (Dutch pronunciation: [də ˈstɛɪl], English: /də ˈstaɪl/), Dutch for"The Style", also known as neoplasticism, was a Dutch artisticmovement founded in 1917. In a narrower sense, the term De Stijlis used to refer to a body of work from 1917 to 1931 founded inthe Netherlands.[1] [2] De Stijl is also the name of a journal thatwas published by the Dutch painter, designer, writer, and criticTheo van Doesburg (1883–1931), propagating the group'stheories. Next to van Doesburg, the group's principal memberswere the painters Piet Mondrian (1872–1944), Vilmos Huszár(1884–1960), and Bart van der Leck (1876–1958), and thearchitects Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964), Robert van 't Hoff(1887–1979), and J.J.P. Oud (1890–1963). The artistic philosophythat formed a basis for the group's work is known as neoplasticism— the new plastic art (or Nieuwe Beelding in Dutch).

Proponents of De Stijl sought to express a new utopian ideal ofspiritual harmony and order. They advocated pure abstraction anduniversality by a reduction to the essentials of form and colour;they simplified visual compositions to the vertical and horizontaldirections, and used only primary colors along with black andwhite. Indeed, according to the Tate Gallery's online article onneoplasticism, Mondrian himself sets forth these delimitations inhis essay 'Neo-Plasticism in Pictorial Art'. He writes, "... this new plastic idea will ignore the particulars ofappearance, that is to say, natural form and colour. On the contrary, it should find its expression in the abstraction ofform and colour, that is to say, in the straight line and the clearly defined primary colour." The Tate article furthersummarizes that this art allows "only primary colours and non-colours, only squares and rectangles, only straight andhorizontal or vertical line."[3] The Guggenheim Museum's online article on De Stijl summarizes these traits in similarterms: "It [De Stijl] was posited on the fundamental principle of the geometry of the straight line, the square, and therectangle, combined with a strong asymmetricality; the predominant use of pure primary colors with black andwhite; and the relationship between positive and negative elements in an arrangement of non-objective forms andlines."[4]

Principles and influencesThe name De Stijl is supposedly derived from Gottfried Semper's Der Stil in den technischen und tektonischenKünsten oder Praktische Ästhetik (1861–3), which Curl[2] suggests was mistakenly believed to advocate materialismand functionalism. In general, De Stijl proposed ultimate simplicity and abstraction, both in architecture andpainting, by using only straight horizontal and vertical lines and rectangular forms. Furthermore, their formalvocabulary was limited to the primary colours, red, yellow, and blue, and the three primary values, black, white, andgrey. The works avoided symmetry and attained aesthetic balance by the use of opposition. This element of themovement embodies the second meaning of stijl: “a post, jamb or support”; this is best exemplified by theconstruction of crossing joints, most commonly seen in carpentry.In many of the group's three-dimensional works, vertical and horizontal lines are positioned in layers or planes thatdo not intersect, thereby allowing each element to exist independently and unobstructed by other elements. Thisfeature can be found in the Rietveld Schröder House and the Red and Blue Chair.

De Stijl 2

De Stijl was influenced by Cubist painting as well as by the mysticism and the ideas about "ideal" geometric forms(such as the "perfect straight line") in the neoplatonic philosophy of mathematician M.H.J. Schoenmaekers. Theworks of De Stijl would influence the Bauhaus style and the international style of architecture as well as clothing andinterior design. However, it did not follow the general guidelines of an “ism” (Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism), nor didit adhere to the principles of art schools like the Bauhaus; it was a collective project, a joint enterprise.In music, De Stijl was an influence only on the work of composer Jakob van Domselaer, a close friend of Mondrian.Between 1913 and 1916, he composed his Proeven van Stijlkunst (Experiments in Artistic Style), inspired mainly byMondrian's paintings. This minimalistic—and, at the time, revolutionary—music defined "horizontal" and "vertical"musical elements and aimed at balancing those two principles. Van Domselaer was relatively unknown in hislifetime, and did not play a significant role within the De Stijl group.

History

Early history

Page from De Stijl magazine.

From the flurry of new art movements that followed the Impressionists'revolutionary new perception of painting, Cubism arose in the earlytwentieth century as an important and influential new direction. In theNetherlands, too, there was interest in this "new art."

However, because the Netherlands remained neutral in World War I,Dutch artists were not able to leave the country after 1914 and werethus effectively isolated from the international art world—and inparticular, from Paris, which was its centre at that time.

During that period, painter Theo van Doesburg started looking forother artists to set up a journal and start an art movement. VanDoesburg was also a writer, poet, and critic, who had been moresuccessful writing about art than working as an independent artist. Quite adept at making new contacts due to hisflamboyant personality and outgoing nature, he had many useful connections in the art world.

Founding of De Stijl

Composition with Yellow, Blue, and Red,1937–42, Piet Mondrian. Oil on canvas; 72.5 x

69 cm. London, Tate Gallery.

Around 1915, Van Doesburg started meeting the artists who wouldeventually become the founders of the journal. He first met PietMondrian at an exhibition in the Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum.Mondrian, who had moved to Paris in 1912 (and there, changed hisname from "Mondriaan"), had been visiting the Netherlands when warbroke out. He could not return to Paris, and was staying in the artists'community of Laren, where he met Bart van der Leck and regularlysaw M.H.J. Schoenmaekers. In 1915, Schoenmaekers published Hetnieuwe wereldbeeld (The New Image of the World), followed in 1916by Beginselen der beeldende wiskunde (Principles of PlasticMathematics). These two publications would greatly influenceMondrian and other members of De Stijl.

Van Doesburg also knew J.J.P. Oud and the Hungarian artist VilmosHuszàr. In 1917, the cooperation of these artists, together with the poetAnthony Kok, resulted in the founding of De Stijl. The young architect

Gerrit Rietveld joined the group in 1918.

De Stijl 3

During those first few years, the group was still relatively homogeneous, although Van der Leck left in 1918 due toartistic differences of opinion. Manifestos were being published, signed by all members. The social and economiccircumstances of the time formed an important source of inspiration for their theories, and their ideas aboutarchitecture were heavily influenced by Berlage and Frank Lloyd Wright.The name Nieuwe Beelding was a term first coined in 1917 by Mondrian, who wrote a series of twelve articles calledDe Nieuwe Beelding in de schilderkunst (Neo-Plasticism in Painting) that were published in the journal De Stijl. In1920, he published a book titled Le Neo-Plasticisme.

After 1920

Theo van Doesburg, Arithmetische Compositie(1924).

Around 1921, the group's character started to change. From the time ofvan Doesburg's association with Bauhaus, other influences startedplaying a role. These influences were mainly Malevich and RussianConstructivism, to which not all members agreed. In 1924, Mondrianbroke with the group after van Doesburg proposed the theory ofelementarism, proposing that the diagonal line was more vital than thehorizontal and the vertical. In addition, the De Stijl group acquiredmany new "members." Dadaist influences, such as I.K. Bonset's poetryand Aldo Camini's "antiphilosophy," generated controversy as well.Only after van Doesburg's death was it revealed that Bonset andCamini were two of his pseudonyms.

After van Doesburg's death

Theo van Doesburg died in Davos in 1931. His wife, Nelly,administered his estate.

Because of van Doesburg's pivotal role within De Stijl, the group did not survive. Individual members remained incontact, but De Stijl could not exist without a strong central character. Thus, it may be wrong to think of De Stijl as aclose-knit group of artists. The members knew each other, but most communication took place by letter. Forexample, Mondrian and Rietveld never met in person.Many, though not all, artists did stay true to the movement's basic ideas, even after 1931. Rietveld, for instance,continued designing furniture according to De Stijl principles, while Mondrian continued working in the style he hadinitiated around 1920. Van der Leck, on the other hand, went back to figurative compositions after his departurefrom the group.

De Stijl 4

Influence on architecture

The Rietveld Schröder House—the only buildingrealised completely according to the principles of

De Stijl.

The De Stijl influence on architecture remained considerable long after1931; Mies van der Rohe was among the most important proponents ofits ideas. Between 1923 and 1924, Rietveld designed the RietveldSchröder House, the only building to have been created completelyaccording to De Stijl principles. Examples of Stijl-influenced works byJ.J.P. Oud can be found in Rotterdam (Café De Unie) and Hoek vanHolland.

Present day

Works by De Stijl members are scattered all over the world, but DeStijl-themed exhibitions are organised regularly. Museums with largeDe Stijl collections include the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague(which owns the world's most extensive, although not exclusively De Stijl-related, Mondrian collection) and theAmsterdam Stedelijk Museum, where many works by Rietveld and Van Doesburg are on display. The CentraalMuseum of Utrecht has the largest Rietveld collection worldwide; it also owns the Rietveld Schröder House,Rietveld's adjacent "show house," and the Rietveld Schröder Archives.

List of neoplasticistsThis list is not exhaustive. Because of the loose associations many artists had with De Stijl, it is difficult to get acomplete overview of contributors.• Ilya Bolotowsky (1907–1981), painter and sculptor.• Burgoyne Diller (1906–1965), painter.• Theo van Doesburg (1883–1931), painter, designer, and writer; published De Stijl, 1917–1931.• Cornelis van Eesteren (1897–1981), architect.• Jean Gorin (1899–1981), painter.• Robert van 't Hoff (1887–1979), architect.• Vilmos Huszár (1884–1960), painter.• Anthony Kok (1882–1969), poet.• Bart van der Leck (1876–1958), painter.• Piet Mondrian (1872–1944), painter.• Marlow Moss (1890–1958), painter and sculptor.• J.J.P. Oud (1890–1963), architect.• Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964), architect and designer.• Georges Vantongerloo (1886–1965), sculptor.• Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart,[1] painter.• Jan Wils (1891–1972), architect.

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References

Notes[1] "De Stijl" (http:/ / www. tate. org. uk/ collections/ glossary/ definition. jsp?entryId=82). Tate Glossary. The Tate. . Retrieved 2006-07-31.[2] Curl, James Stevens (2006) (Paperback). A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (Second Edition ed.). Oxford University

Press. ISBN 0-19-860678-8.[3] Tate Glossary: Neo-Plasticism (http:/ / www. tate. org. uk/ collections/ glossary/ definition. jsp?entryId=191)[4] Guggenheim Glossary: De Stijl (http:/ / www. guggenheimcollection. org/ site/ glossary_De_Stijl. html)

Bibliography• "De Stijl Architecture" (http:/ / www. artandculture. com/ cgi-bin/ WebObjects/ ACLive. woa/ wa/

movement?id=112). Design Arts. Art and Culture. Retrieved 2006-07-31.• van Doesburg, Theo (1924). "Towards a plastic architecture" (http:/ / caad. arch. ethz. ch/ teaching/ nds/ ws97/

script/ text/ doesburg. html). Translation of original published in De Stijl, XII, 6/7. Architecture & CAAD.Retrieved 2006-07-31.

Further reading• Blotkamp, Carel (ed.) (1982). De beginjaren van De Stijl 1917–1922. Utrecht: Reflex.• Blotkamp, Carel (ed.) (1996). De vervolgjaren van De Stijl 1922–1932. Amsterdam: Veen.• Jaffé, H. L. C. (1956). De Stijl, 1917–1931, The Dutch Contribution to Modern Art (1st edition ed.). Amsterdam:

J.M. Meulenhoff.• Overy, Paul (1969). De Stijl (1st edition ed.). London: Studio Vista.• White, Michael (2003). De Stijl and Dutch Modernism. Manchester [etc]: Manchester University Press.

External links• De Stijl (http:/ / sdrc. lib. uiowa. edu/ dada/ De_Stijl/ index. htm)• Jakob van Domselaer's Proeven van Stijlkunst (http:/ / www. dofoundation. com/ dr001. html), rare recording.• Essay about Mondrian and mysticism (http:/ / www. newcriterion. com/ archive/ 14/ sept95/ hilton. htm) Scans of

the complete first volume of the journal.

Article Sources and Contributors 6

Article Sources and ContributorsDe Stijl  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=427907858  Contributors: 100110100, 1717, Adam Zivner, Alansohn, Antiuser, Arch2all, Bantosh, Barticus88, Biblbroks, Blaaah24,Brookie, Bumper12, Bus stop, Can't sleep, clown will eat me, CanisRufus, Coffee, Cowboy456, Delfeye, Dionidium, Dogears, Dysprosia, Ellywa, Epbr123, Error, Eugene van der Pijll,Fieldday-sunday, Flillibridge, Fralor, Freshacconci, Frédérick Lacasse, Galoubet, Geekman3000, Hananeko, Hans castorp81, Heymarcel, HiLo48, Husky, Inquam, It's-is-not-a-genitive, J04n,JaGa, Jack Bethune, Jahsonic, Jamespjgrennan, Jareha, Jaxl, Jebba, Jebdogdaddy, Jeff G., JimmyGuano, JoeSmack, Justin Foote, KRS, Kaihsu, Kf4bdy, Kozuch, Krash, Kummi, Kwamikagami,Latitude0116, Lithoderm, Lockley, Look2See1, Luna Santin, Mafmafmaf, Majorkev, Mandarax, Manfroze, MapsMan, MarylandArtLover, Marzedu, MathMartin, Mbecker, Mbroooks, Mcginnly,Mjackso1, Modernist, Ms2ger, NHRHS2010, Neddyseagoon, Nimbusania, PGWG, Picapica, Picklegnome, Piet Vollaard, Planetneutral, Platinumbuddha, Pontauxchats, Puckly, QuackGuru, Qyd,R'n'B, RadRafe, Radioflux, Rasmus Faber, Red Scharlach, RepublicanJacobite, Rettetast, Revoranii, RexNL, RobertG, Ronaldomundo, Ronline, RoyBoy, S.dedalus, Sageo, Sannse, Sapphic,Sartas Regem, Seraphim, Seylyn, Shinmawa, Shoeofdeath, Solipsist, Sonett72, Sparkit, Spellcast, Spinster, Storkk, Stormyhawn, Szalax, Taarten, The Dark Peria, The Thing That Should Not Be,TwoRivers, Unyoyega, Vinsfan368, Wapcaplet, Wavehunter, Wik, William Avery, X10, Шизомби, 194 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsFile:Rietveld chair 1.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Rietveld_chair_1.JPG  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors: User:EllywaFile:Destijl anthologiebonset.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Destijl_anthologiebonset.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Husky, Ilse@, Slavona, VincentSteenbergFile:Mondrian CompRYB.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Mondrian_CompRYB.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: 17Drew, Fram, Hahnchen, Krator, Kubigula,Kurt Shaped Box, Melesse, Modernist, OfOrebOrOfSinai, Petropoxy (Lithoderm Proxy), Salvio giuliano, Scm83x, Sparkit, Ssbohio, Strangerer, VegitaU, Yannisart, 7 anonymous editsFile:Theo van Doesburg Counter-CompositionV (1924).jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Theo_van_Doesburg_Counter-CompositionV_(1924).jpg  License: PublicDomain  Contributors: Husky, Ilse@, Lupo, Mattes, Slavona, Vincent Steenberg, 4 anonymous editsFile:RietveldSchroederhuis.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:RietveldSchroederhuis.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Fransvannes, Steinbach

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