DE STIJL
"There is an old and a new consciousness of the age. The old one is directed towards the individual. The new one is directed towards the universal. The struggle of the individual against the universal may be seen both in the world war and in modern art."
-Theo van Doesburg
Piet Mondrian, 1911. 'The Grey Tree' https://www.g-truc.net/post-0388.html
The De Stijl movement originated in the Netherlands (1917-31), and ultimately embraced the abstract, the simple, the geometric forms as well as the primary colours. This movement was partly a reaction against the decorativity of Art Deco, and aimed to instead 'reduce the quality.' De Stijl visualised their art as a universal language suitable for its' time period, an era of new, and a spiritualised world order. This movement was led by artists; Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg. Who envisioned the ideal fusion of 'form is fuction' and turned their attention to many (virtually all) other forms of art. De Stijl's influence was particularly apparent in the realm of architecture (which gave rise to the International Style of the 1920s-30s).
De Stijl simply means "The Style" and emerged initially as a response to the terror of World War 1 and with the goal to remake and restructure society in its aftermath. This movement saw art as a means of spiritual and social reclamation, and its artists sought a utopian vision with transformative potential.
De Stijl incorporated; straight lines, squares, and rectangles all within the colour scheme of primary colours. And went in search "for the universal, as the individual was losing its significance." Moreover, De Stijl's continued fame is due to the true modern master of the movement: Piet Mondrian.
Piet Mondrian, 1920. Composition A. Painting showcasing his style. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/art-movements-throughout-history-de-stijl.html
De Stijl adopted various elements from Cubism and Suprematism; and designed artworks consisting of basic constructions of solid blocks rendered in primary colours.
Composition A is painted with these basic elements, solid blocks and rendered colours. This work didn't focus on the object in nature, and all together made no reference to any object ( e.g. the artworks name) Mondrian wanted to accomplish this geometric abstract-artwork by using rectilinear forms and combing outlined areas of colour.
Furthermore, shades of black and grey were broadly used in between solid blocks of primary colours to help express simplicity and to create a beautiful basic composition.
Contemporary Comparison
"We speak of concrete and not abstract painting because nothing is more concrete, more real than a line, a color, a surface." -Theo van Doesberg
Daniël Roozendaal, 2017. 100th Anniversary of De Stijl. http://inkygoodness.com/features/marking-100th-anniversary-de-stijl-style/
Daniël Roozendaal, 2017. 100th Anniversary of De Stijl. http://inkygoodness.com/features/marking-100th-anniversary-de-stijl-style/
Chungkong, 2018. 'Boogie Woogie New York Poster.' https://fineartamerica.com/featured/boogie-woogie-new-york-chungkong-art.html?product=poster
"In my opinion Mondrian was the most influential ducth painter of the 20st century. His Victory Boogie Woogie is a masterpiece. Although it is unfinished (he died while making it) it is one of his most iconic pieces.The piece inspired me to do some weird kind of chungkong tribute. Victory Boogie Woogie gave me the inspiration to Boogie Woogie more city maps (the original was inspired by the New York city-plan). Not in some highbrow way, or with any big ambition to compete with the original. But with the hope that the world is would be more fun if there was more Boogie Woogie around." - Chungkong
Chungkong is a Netherlands designer that is greatly inspired by De Stijl. Chungkong transforms subject matters (city maps) down to their simplest forms and then brings them to life within vibrant and playful designs. He focuses on simple and humorous works, that integrate straight lines, squares, rectangles, and of course primary colours.
Bibliography
The Art Story, 2018. Modern Art Insights. De Stijl. [Online] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-de-stijl.htm [Accessed; 20 April 2018]
World Atlas, 2018. Art Movements Throughout History: De Stijl. [Online] Available at: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/art-movements-throughout-history-de-stijl.html [Accessed: 20 April 2018]
Images
Image One
Piet Mondrian, 1911. 'The Grey Tree' [Online] Available at: https://www.g-truc.net/post-0388.html [Accessed: 20 April 2018]
Image Two
Piet Mondrian, 1920. Composition A. Painting showcasing his style. [Online] Available at: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/art-movements-throughout-history-de-stijl.html [Accessed: 20 Aril 2018]
Piet Mondrian, 1920. Composition A. Painting showcasing his style. [Online] Available at: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/art-movements-throughout-history-de-stijl.html [Accessed: 20 Aril 2018]
Image Three
Daniël Roozendaal, 2017. 100th Anniversary of De Stijl. [Online] Available at: http://inkygoodness.com/features/marking-100th-anniversary-de-stijl-style/ [Accessed: 20 April]
Image Four
Daniël Roozendaal, 2017. 100th Anniversary of De Stijl. [Online] Available at: http://inkygoodness.com/features/marking-100th-anniversary-de-stijl-style/ [Accessed: 20 April 2018]
Image Five
Chungkong, 2018. 'Boogie Woogie New York Poster.' [Online] Available at: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/boogie-woogie-new-york-chungkong-art.html?product=poster [Accessed: 20 April 2018]
