Piet Mondrian (1872-1944)

Piet Mondrian is a Dutch painter most well-known for his grid-like paintings with their boxes of black, white, red, blue, and yellow, although his palette is not limited to the primary colors. As mentioned in my Red, Yellow, and Blue post, I was fortunate enough to visit the Ludwig Museum of Cologne in December, 2007 and saw Mondrian, one of the largest exhibits of the Dutch artist's works. The paintings are displayed in chronological order and invites viewers to see for themselves how Mondrian developed and matured as an artist. I walked away particularly moved by some of his earlier landscapes.

Duinlandschap (Dune Landscape), Piet Mondriaan, 1911, oil on canvas, 141 x 239 cm, Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag

Evening; Red Tree, Piet Mondriaan, 1908, oil on canvas, 25.5 x 39 cm, Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag

Veoh has a great video of the exhibit, including excellent shots of some select works.

I have always been told that Mondrian's rectangles and proportions follow golden ratios. I have not had the time to dig more into the truth of the matter (once I find out, I will definitely update), but I still think his compositions are well-balanced.

The collection is actually in the keeping of the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, so if anyone is in the area, be sure to check it out!