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    Style
    & Work

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    1911

    1914

    Increasing Abstraction

    From 1911 onwards, Mondrian stays in Paris, where he comes into contact with Cubism, a style in which the motif is broken down into geometric forms. The most important representatives of Cubism are Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, whose works he encounters for the first time in 1911. In the Cubism of Picasso and Braque, the motifs are still partially recognizable. In contrast, Mondrian’s goal is the complete abstraction of the object.

    1908
    Metamorphosis [Bloem (Flower): Dying Chrysanthemum]
    1912 (?)
    Tree

    Mondrian’s path towards abstraction can be easily comprehended using the example of three paintings of trees. “The Red Tree” from 1908/1910 is still depicted quite realistically. Only the strong colors do not correspond to nature. In “Tree” from 1912, the horizontal and vertical lines dominate, but the motif is still clearly discernible.

    1912
    Bloeiende appelboom (Flowering Apple Tree)

    In “The Flowering Apple Tree” from 1912, the tree is only recognizable on closer inspection. It is no longer the branches, but rather the areas between them that gain in importance. He continues along this path over the course of the following two years; the original motifs can only be surmised in rudimentary form.

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    History & Reality

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    1911

    1914

    La Belle Époque Paris in the 1910s

    In 1911 it seems that Mondrian has outgrown the Netherlands. He packs his bags and travels to Paris.

    At the turn of the century, the French capital experiences a cultural heyday - during the so-called “Belle Époque,” many artists, literary figures, and musicians frequent cafés, restaurants, bookstores, salons, clubs, and bars in the Montmartre district of Paris. Science and technology also experience an upswing, making life easier and more pleasant for some - but by no means for everyone.

    1912
    Paris, église de la rue Réaumur

    Despite all the positive developments of the 1910s, the spirit of optimism is countered by housing shortages, crime, and social poverty among some sections of the population.

    Mondrian remains in Paris for two years before - due to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 - he is unable to return to France following a visit to the Netherlands.

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    Friendship

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    1911

    1914

    A Network

    In December 1911, Mondrian moves to Paris. There, he meets many artists, most of whom painted in the Expressionist-Cubist style.

    He is influenced by the work of George Braque and Pablo Picasso, who are considered the inventors of Cubism. Although he often enjoys visiting cafés and clubs in the Montparnasse district, he never meets Braque and Picasso in person. Café du Dôme and Café de la Rotonde are popular meeting places for numerous artists and intellectuals. Among others, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, Willi Baumeister, Theo van Doesburg, and Amadeo Modigliani frequent these establishments, as does Diego Rivera, who – like Mondrian – has his studio on rue du Départ. It is only during Mondrian’s second stay in Paris that some of his friendships are documented by letters or other documents.

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    Music & Rhythm

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    1911

    1914

    Music of the Future

    For Mondrian, music and visual art are future-oriented forms of expression.

    The artist is absolutely passionate about jazz - he listens to this music in his free time, as well as during his artistic work in the studio. Jazz, which had freed itself from numerous musical conventions, is characterized by improvisation and syncopation (deviating beat from the “correct” flow of rhythm).

    early 1943
    Fritz Glarner, Piet Mondrian in his studio, 353 East 56th Street in New York

    In his text “De jazz en de Neo-plastiek” (Jazz and Neoplasticism, 1927), Mondrian brings jazz together with the character of Neoplasticism. Both focalize unexpected accents and rhythmic tension.