Tableau no. 1

On this day in 1872, Piet Mondrian, one of the greatest artists of the 20th century and one of the fathers of abstract art, was born. To celebrate the occasion, we present one of his works thanks to the Kröller-Müller Museum.  :)

Initially, Piet Mondrian painted in the naturalistic style of the Hague School. Curious about the latest developments in the art, such as the Cubism of Picasso and Braque, Mondrian left for Paris in 1911. Under the influence of the Cubists, he soon reduced his colors to mostly grey, ochre, and brown; the recognizable reality gradually disappeared from his paintings.

Tableau no. 1 clearly shows the influence of Analytical Cubism. In this, an object or figure is dissected, broken into fragments, and converted into a complex structure. The composition is built up from the middle and the shapes become blurred towards the edges. Tableau no. 1 has an underdrawing of a tree, but this motif is barely recognizable.

Mondrian dissected his subject into countless segments. This created a lively structure of horizontal and vertical, straight, and slightly curved lines, and grey and ochre surfaces. In this painting and in other works from the same year, Mondrian took his first steps towards "the unchanging pure reality behind the changeable forms of nature."

P.S. If you sometimes feel lost in front of the painting (don't worry, it happens to everyone), check out our free How To Look At Art online course here. It can be quite comforting, especially when it comes to Abstract art.  :)

P.P.S. In addition to our online course, we also offer you a quick guide on how to read Mondrian's paintings here.  :)