Piet Mondrian is a representative Dutch abstract painter from the first half of the 20th century. His style, which is composed only of straight lines, squares and rectangles, and basic colors, continues to have a major influence on contemporary art.

Piet Mondrian Biography

• Born March 7, 1872 in Amersfoort, Netherlands
• He began studying painting in 1892 and painted landscapes and still lifes.
• He moved to Paris in 1911 and was influenced by Cubism.
• Established his abstract painting style in the 1920s
• Died February 1, 1944 in New York at age 71

Representative works

• " Composition With Red, Yellow and Blue" (1921)
• "Broadway Boogie Woogie" (1942-43)
• "Gray Tree" (1911)
• "New York City" (1942)

Mondrian gradually moved from his early style of landscapes and still lifes to a style of abstract painting influenced by Cubism, using only straight lines, squares, and rectangles.

The style, which is composed of only vertical and horizontal lines and the three primary colors of white, red, blue, and yellow, was a pursuit of an infinitely expandable artistic space. This style, which was perfected after the 1920s, is the origin of modern abstract painting.

Mondrian is a representative 20th century painter who stripped down painting elements to a bare minimum and pursued non-representational forms. His functional and modern linear beauty has had a major influence on contemporary design.