NEOPLASTICISM: CHARACTERISTICS, ORIGIN, AUTHORS AND WORKS - ART - 2024

The neoplasticismo is an artistic movement that was developed in 1917 in the Netherlands by Piet Mondrian in collaboration with Theo van Doesburg. The emergence of this movement at the beginning of the 20th century places it within the currents of modern art.

Mondrian sought that his conception was universal. This current is also considered within abstract art, as it offers a much more analytical conception of the works and tries not to imitate elements of real life -such as realism-, but to represent the shapes and colors of reality.

One of the characteristics of Neoplasticism is the preponderant use of primary colors. Source: Piet Mondrian

At the same time, this movement is related to cubism by the representation of geometric figures. Although Neoplasticism is widely known for its paintings, it is also developed in other relevant areas of the plastic arts, such as sculpture and architecture.

characteristics

The goal of Neoplasticism is to represent the essence of the universe and the pure beauty of it. This representation is achieved through the use of a very marked style that has the following peculiarities:

- Aesthetic renovation that seeks to represent beauty and the world in a universal way.

- Rationalist approach that eliminates the presence of accessories in the works. It is limited to capturing only the elemental, without ornaments or extra elements.

- Unique use of geometric shapes, planes and lines. Generally, the geometric shapes that prevail in the works are squares and rectangles.

- Absence of curves and arrangement of shapes and lines in a perpendicular way, so that only right angles are formed in the work.

- Use of primary colors (yellow, blue and red), as well as neutral colors (white, black and gray). Colors are not modified by light or shadow, and backgrounds tend to be light.

- Presence of asymmetry, but with balance.

- Aversion to realism. Neoplastic artists felt and expressed that the representation and imitation of reality was not necessary, since art was already part of life. That is why they sought the representation of the components of reality through their elemental form and colors.

Origin

Neoplasticism was born after a great reflection on the artistic movements developed so far.

Mondrian, along with other artists who joined this current, was not pleased with what was represented in realism, symbolism or even cubism, although it served strongly as inspiration.

At the time of the emergence of this artistic trend, Europe was going through the First World War. Piet Mondrian was visiting his father in Holland, but he was forced to stay in his country because of the war and it was there that he finished developing the foundations of this artistic movement.

Mondrian had been working on Neoplasticism since 1913, and it was in 1917 that he finished shaping the project. In October of that same year Theo van Doesburg published the first edition of a magazine called De Stijl, and in that publication included the works of Mondrian and many more artists.

This artistic trend was very well received around the artistic world and was filled with praise and congratulations.

In addition, the artists immersed in it were admired as it was considered that they first made themselves known through the media (such as De Stijl magazine) until their works were ordered in multiple art galleries.

De Stijl

In years prior to the outbreak of the First World War, Theo van Doesburg met a series of artists such as Piet Mondrian and Rietveld, among others, who supported him to carry out the founding of the magazine De Stijl, with editions without established continuity and which was very well received by the public.

After publishing the Neoplasticist manifesto in the first edition of De Stijl, Mondrian and Van Doesburg became collaborators. Van Doesburg is considered one of the founders of Neoplasticism, since through the founding of the magazine he actively participated in the dissemination of this art.

When De Stijl achieved considerable recognition and was very well positioned, it had approximately 100 collaborating artists, including Gerrit Rietveld, Anthony Kok and Bart van der Leck. However, some left the project due to differences of opinion or personal reasons.

After Van Doesburg's death in 1931, the magazine was last published as a tribute to him. De Stijl is considered to have ceased to exist when the life of its founder and chief editor, Theo van Doesburg, ended.

Authors

Piet mondrian

Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan was born in Amersfoort (Holland) on March 7, 1872. He acquired his taste for painting thanks to his father, who was also a painter. At only 10 years old, he entered the Amsterdam State Academy, where he studied until 1908.

At the beginning his tendency was to represent natural landscapes such as forests, with the absence of bright colors. After his arrival in Paris in 1911, where he related to artists such as Picasso and Georges Braque, his paintings were strongly influenced by Cubism.

In 1914 he returned to Holland to visit his father and stayed there for the outbreak of the First World War. During that trip he met Theo van Doesburg and began his true immersion in abstract art: in 1917 they founded the magazine De Stijl and, at the same time, the neoplasticist movement of which Mondrian is considered the founder.

In 1918 he returned to Paris, where he lived for the next twenty years and remained dedicated to art. In 1938 he left Paris and went to London, but his stay was short because in 1940 he definitely went to New York, United States.

In New York he made his last paintings and even left some unfinished, as Mondrian died in this city on February 1, 1944.

Theo van Doesburg

Officially called Christian Emil Marie Küpper, he was born in Utrecht (Holland) on August 30, 1883 and was a well-known painter, writer, architect and poet. He began in the artistic world in a self-taught way and dedicated himself to naturalism, although later he leaned towards the currents of abstraction.

During his growth in Holland, specifically in 1917, he began to interact with various artists with Mondrian, JJP Oud, Bart van der Leck and others, who collaborated with him in the founding of the magazine De Stijl, dedicated to the neoplasticist movement. Van Doesburg was editor of this publication.

In addition to his great contributions to Neoplasticism with the founding and publication of De Stijl, he participated in various architectural projects, such as the restructuring and redecoration of the Aubette building in Strasbourg.

Throughout his life he also participated in conferences, exhibitions and courses. His last major project was the construction of his home-studio in Meudon, but it could not be completed because Van Doesburg was forced to travel to Davos due to health problems and died on March 7, 1931 from a heart attack.

Bart van der leck

Born in Utrecht (Holland) on November 26, 1876, he was a Dutch painter and sculptor who was related to the current of Neoplasticism due to the style of his works. He was also one of the collaborating artists of De Stijl magazine.

He received early workshop training and formalized his studies at the School voor Kunstnijverheid and the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam in 1904.

In addition to developing painting, he also participated in architectural works, furniture and interior design. Although his style was markedly abstract, nearing the end of his career he also leaned towards the semi-abstract. Van der Leck died on November 13, 1958 in Blaricum, the Netherlands.

Jacobus Johannes Pieter Oud

He was a Dutch architect and modeler born on February 9, 1890 in Purmerend. He stood out for being one of the representatives of modern art in Holland and for collaborating in the De Stijl magazine. From his main area, which was architecture, he followed the neoplasticist movement.

He received an education from 1904 to 1907 at the Amsterdam School of Arts and Crafts. Years later, more aware of his vocation for drawing, he trained in this area at the Amsterdam State School of Drawing and, finally, he studied at the Delt Polytechnic.

When he was only 22 years old, he began working as an independent architect and carried out various works together with Theo van Doesburg, with whom he later worked at De Stijl magazine.

In 1918 he was the municipal architect of Rotterdam and became involved in an important way with society. He died on April 5, 1963 in Wassenaar.

Representative works

- Red Blue Chair (1917), by Gerrit Rietveld, one of the first representations of neoplasticism in three dimensions.

- Russian Dance (1918), painting by Theo van Doesburg.

- Composition VIII, also known as The Cow (1918), painting by Theo van Doesburg.

The Cow. Theo van Doesburg (1883–1931)

- Tableau I (1921), painting by Piet Mondrian.

Tableu II. Mondrian 1921-1925 (1922).

- Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow (1930), painting by Piet Mondrian.

- New York City I (1942), by Piet Mondrian.

References

1. Bris, P. (2006). "The architecture of Mondrian: Review of neoplastic architecture in the theoretical and practical light of Piet Mondrian". Retrieved on March 18 from the Digital Archive of the Polytechnic University of Madrid: oa.upm.es
2. Posada, M. (2012). "Neoplasticism and De Stijl". Retrieved on March 18 from the Faculty of Design and Communication of the University of Palermo: fido.palermo.edu
3. Moreno, A. (2014). "Design and Typography in De Stijl". Retrieved on March 18, i + Diseño International scientific-academic journal of Innovation, Research and Development in Design at the University of Malaga: diseño.uma.es
4. (2018). "Mondrian, Piet Cornelis". Retrieved March 18 from Oxford Art Online: oxfordartonline.com
5. (nd) "Bart van der Leck". Retrieved on March 18 from Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza: museothyssen.org
6. (sf). "Neo-plasticism". Retrieved on March 18 from Tate: tate.org.uk