Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow - Piet Mondrian

A classic example of Piet Mondrian's mature style, 'Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow' is divided into rectangular areas of solid colour, separated by thick black lines. The composition is asymmetrical, with the primary colours balanced against areas of white and grey.

Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) was a Dutch artist and a major figure in the development of abstract art. He is best known as one of the founders of De Stijl, a Dutch artistic movement advocating pure abstraction and universality by a reduction to the essentials of form and colour; he called this new style neoplasticism. Mondrian believed that abstraction was the language of the future, a way to express the underlying spiritual reality of the world. His work aimed to achieve a dynamic equilibrium through the use of geometric forms and primary colours. 'Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow' is a classic example of Mondrian's mature style. The painting is divided into rectangular areas of solid colour, separated by thick black lines. The composition is asymmetrical, with the primary colours (red, blue, and yellow) balanced against areas of white and grey. The overall effect is one of harmony and order, reflecting Mondrian's belief in the power of abstraction to reveal the underlying structure of reality. The painting exemplifies Mondrian's commitment to reducing his artistic vocabulary to its most basic elements.