Ethan Clarke
De Stijl, meaning 'The Style' in Dutch, is an artistic movement and school of thought conceived in 1917 in the Netherlands. The term was first used by Theo Van Doesburg in a periodical he launched to promote the ideas of the movement. De Stijl's most prominent artist, Piet Mondrian, described the movement as Neo-Plasticism, which he defined as a pure representation of the human mind that would express itself in an aesthetically purified, that is to say, abstract form. In practice, this meant that De Stijl art was limited to only the simplest elements of shape and colour, specifically horizontal and vertical lines, and primary colours.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of Conception | 1917 |
| Origin Country | Netherlands |
| Originators | Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg |
| Other Notable Artists | Gerrit Rietvel, Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Hans Arp, Vordemberge-Gildewart |
| Other Names | Neoplasticism, Nieuwe Beelding, The Style |
| Aim | To capture the essence of reality, transcending the changing appearance of natural things |
| Artistic Expression | Only primary colors (red, yellow, blue) and non-colors (black, white, grey) |
| Only squares, rectangles, straight, horizontal, and vertical lines | |
| Avoided symmetry, attained aesthetic balance using opposition | |
| Embraced anti-individualist principles | |
| Promoted functionalism and incorporation of all art forms | |
| Utilized orthogonal lines and primary colors for non-verbal communication | |
| Focused on the "redness of red" and the "blueness of blue" rather than their mere appearance | |
| Captured sensations that come through our eyes and translated them into the cognitive domain | |
| Embraced Elementarism, which introduced dynamic diagonal lines and more energetic use of color |
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What You'll Learn
- Neoplasticism, or the ''new plastic art', was a style that aimed to develop a universal language
- De Stijl's anti-individualist principles were present in architecture, with an emphasis on purified, universal form
- De Stijl artists believed in the power of simplicity and abstraction to achieve social and spiritual redemption
- Mondrian's Neo-Plasticism in Pictorial Art set out the principles of the concept, published in De Stijl in 1917-18
- De Stijl's utopian vision aimed to bring about a complete overhaul of society through a universal art movement
Neoplasticism, or the ''new plastic art', was a style that aimed to develop a universal language
Neoplasticism, or the new plastic art, was a style that aimed to develop a universal language. It was conceived in 1917 by a group of artists in the Netherlands, including Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg, who centred around the idea of fathoming the purity of form and the reality of nature, supposedly obscured by figuration. The term De Stijl means 'The Style' in Dutch.
Mondrian described Neoplasticism as a new method for representing modern reality. In his essay 'Neo-Plasticism in Pictorial Art', published in twelve instalments of the journal De Stijl in 1917-1918, he wrote:
> "This new plastic idea will ignore the particulars of appearance, that is to say, natural form and colour. On the contrary, it should find its expression in the abstraction of form and colour, that is to say, in the straight line and the clearly defined primary colour."
The De Stijl movement initially adopted Mondrian's principles, which included only using primary colours and non-colours, squares and rectangles, and straight horizontal and vertical lines. However, around 1924, the movement rejected some of these principles and adopted those of Elementarism, which included the use of dynamic diagonal lines and allowed colour to infuse more energy into a work.
The De Stijl artists were not the first to practice abstract art, but they promoted their views of a more pure abstraction in the first-ever journal devoted to abstraction. This publication, published by van Doesburg, promoted the philosophical views of the group, including Mondrian's famous text 'Neo-Plasticism in Pictorial Art'.
The De Stijl aesthetic spread throughout Europe in the 1920s, influencing many artists, including the German artist Vordemberge-Gildewart, as seen in his 'Composition 14, 1925'.
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De Stijl's anti-individualist principles were present in architecture, with an emphasis on purified, universal form
De Stijl, meaning "The Style" in Dutch, was a collective project and school of thought that originated in the Netherlands in 1917. The movement was pioneered by a group of artists who centred around the idea of fathoming the purity of form and the reality of nature, which they believed was obscured by figuration. De Stijl's anti-individualist principles were present in architecture, with an emphasis on purified, universal form.
The De Stijl movement was heavily influenced by the works of M. H. J. Schoenmaekers, a neoplatonist philosopher. In 1915 and 1916, Schoenmaekers published two works that would go on to greatly influence the members of De Stijl: Het nieuwe wereldbeeld ("The New Worldview") and Beginselen der beeldende wiskunde ("Principles of Visual Mathematics"). De Stijl's anti-individualist principles were also influenced by the works of Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, and Hans Arp, who had earlier created non-objective art.
De Stijl's anti-individualist principles were present in architecture through the movement's emphasis on purified, universal form. This was achieved through the use of straight horizontal and vertical lines, rectangular forms, and primary colours. The movement's vocabulary was limited to the primary colours: red, yellow, and blue; and the three primary values: black, white, and grey. The works avoided symmetry and attained aesthetic balance through the use of opposition. This element of tension embodied the second meaning of "stijil", which translates to "a post, jamb, or support".
The De Stijl movement also aimed to develop a universal language, which contributed to the development of Modernism. Their visual expression was radicalised by a self-invented vocabulary that functioned according to its own system, consisting of orthogonal lines and primary colours as the most basic tools for non-verbal communication. These elements are sometimes misinterpreted as shapes, but they do not represent shapes. Instead, they aim to capture the sensations that come through our eyes and translate them into the cognitive domain.
De Stijl's influence on architecture was considerable and long-lasting. The Rietveld Schröder House, designed by Gerrit Rietveld between 1923 and 1924, is the only building that was created entirely according to De Stijl principles. However, there are other notable examples of architecture influenced by De Stijl, such as the Eames House by Charles and Ray Eames and the Café De Unie in Rotterdam, designed by J.J.P. Oud.
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De Stijl artists believed in the power of simplicity and abstraction to achieve social and spiritual redemption
De Stijl, meaning 'the style' in Dutch, was a movement conceived in 1917 in the Netherlands by artists seeking to uncover the purity of form and the reality of nature, which they believed was obscured by figuration. The movement's main theorists were Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg. De Stijl artists believed in the power of simplicity and abstraction to achieve social and spiritual redemption, which they called "Neo-Plasticism" or "Neoplasticism". This term was first coined by Mondrian in a series of twelve articles called "De Nieuwe Beelding in de schilderkunst" ("Neo-Plasticism in Painting") published in the journal De Stijl.
Neo-Plasticism refers to the painting style and ideas developed by Mondrian in 1917, promoted by De Stijl. Mondrian described Neo-Plasticism as a reductive approach to art-making that stripped away traditional elements of art, such as perspective and representation, utilising only a series of primary colours and straight lines. In his essay "Neo-Plasticism in Pictorial Art", Mondrian wrote:
> "This new plastic idea will ignore the particulars of appearance, that is to say, natural form and colour. On the contrary, it should find its expression in the abstraction of form and colour, that is to say, in the straight line and the clearly defined primary colour."
The De Stijl movement initially adopted Mondrian's principles until around 1924 when it rejected some of them and adopted those of Elementarism, which included the use of dynamic diagonal lines, allowing colour to infuse more energy into a work, and the rejection of harmonious and balanced relationships. Van Doesburg developed Elementarism to modify the strictness of Neo-Plasticism, giving a sense of dynamism to his paintings, which he felt was lacking in Mondrian's compositions.
De Stijl artists believed that their style would feed into all art forms, including fine and applied arts, urban planning, typography, music, and poetry. They had grand, idealistic aims for the new movement, believing it could bring about a complete overhaul of society by ushering in a rational order through a universal, utopian art. They believed that their art could develop forces of sufficient strength to influence all culture.
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Mondrian's Neo-Plasticism in Pictorial Art set out the principles of the concept, published in De Stijl in 1917-18
Piet Mondrian's essay, "Neo-Plasticism in Pictorial Art", laid out the principles of Neo-Plasticism, which was published in twelve instalments in the journal De Stijl from October 1917 to 1918. De Stijl, Dutch for "The Style", was an avant-garde artistic movement founded in 1917 by a group of artists and architects. The journal was published by Dutch painter, designer, writer, poet, and critic Theo van Doesburg, who also became the chief promoter of the new style.
Mondrian described Neo-Plasticism as a reductive approach to art-making, stripping away traditional elements of art such as perspective and representation. Instead, it utilized only a series of primary colours, non-colours, and straight lines, with compositions made up of squares, rectangles, and straight horizontal or vertical lines. This disassociation from nature created a new art form, whose essential qualities were spiritual, entirely abstract, and rational. Mondrian wrote:
> "This new plastic idea will ignore the particulars of appearance, that is to say, natural form and colour. On the contrary, it should find its expression in the abstraction of form and colour, that is to say, in the straight line and the clearly defined primary colour."
Mondrian and other Neo-Plastic artists believed that merging painting, architecture, and design would hasten the coming of an ordered and harmonious society. They intended for this utopian vision to spread from the canvas to the interior of the studio, to the home, the street, the city, and eventually to all of the world.
The De Stijl movement initially adopted Mondrian's principles until around 1924, when it rejected some of them and adopted those of Elementarism, which included the use of dynamic diagonal lines.
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De Stijl's utopian vision aimed to bring about a complete overhaul of society through a universal art movement
De Stijl, meaning 'the style' in Dutch, was a school of thought conceived in 1917 in the Netherlands. It was pioneered by artists such as Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg, who centred around the idea of fathoming the purity of form and the reality of nature, which they believed was obscured by figuration.
The visual expression of Neoplasticism was radicalised by a self-invented vocabulary that functioned according to its own system, consisting of orthogonal lines and primary colours as the most basic tools for non-verbal communication. These elements are not meant to be interpreted as shapes but as sensations that come through our eyes, translated into the domain of the cognitive. In other words, Mondrian’s art is not about the colours themselves, but about the emotion that their juxtaposition creates.
The principles of Neoplasticism were to be transplanted from painting to other art forms, including architecture and design, providing the basis for the transformation of the human environment sought by De Stijl artists. Mondrian envisioned that a "pure plastic vision should build a new society, in the same way that in art it has built a new plasticism". This concept of Neo-Plasticism was inspired by M. H. J. Schoenmaekers's treatise "Beginselen der Beeldende Wiskunde" ("The Principles of Plastic Mathematics"), which proposed that reality is composed of a series of opposing forces, such as the formal polarity of horizontal and vertical axes and the juxtaposition of primary colours.
De Stijl's utopian vision was not without its challenges. In the mid-1920s, the group began to deviate from Mondrian's strict principles of Neo-Plasticism, with the introduction of Elementarism by Van Doesburg. This style incorporated dynamic diagonal lines, allowing colour to infuse more energy into a work, and the rejection of harmonious and balanced relationships. While Mondrian disagreed with this new direction, believing it attacked his purist ideals, Elementarism sought to modify the dogmatic nature of Neo-Plasticism by introducing a sense of dynamism and development. Despite these differences, De Stijl's influence spread throughout Europe during the 1920s, impacting various artists and movements and leaving a lasting legacy in the world of art and design.
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Frequently asked questions
In the early 20th century, the term 'plastic arts' was used to distinguish visual art from writing, music and theatre. In De Stijl, 'plastic' refers to the action of forms and colours on the surface of the canvas as a new method for representing modern reality.
Neo-Plasticism refers to the painting style and ideas developed by Piet Mondrian in 1917, promoted by De Stijl. Neo-Plasticism is a form of abstraction that aims to capture the sensations that come through our eyes and translate them into the domain of the cognitive.
Neo-Plasticism is characterised by the use of only primary colours (red, yellow, blue) and non-colours (black, white, grey), straight lines, and rectangular forms. It avoids symmetry and attains aesthetic balance through the use of opposition.
De Stijl adopted Mondrian's principles of Neo-Plasticism until around 1924 when the movement began to adopt the principles of Elementarism, which included the use of dynamic diagonal lines.
