These 7 Facts Will Make You Want to Know More About Piet Mondrian

composition with red blue and yellow 1930 by Mondrian

These 7 Facts Will Make You Want to Know More About Piet Mondrian

composition with red yellow blue and black by Mondrian

Piet Mondrian, who was born in Amersfoort, Netherlands in 1872, went on to become one of the most famous abstract painters in history. His best known works are characterized by their use of primary colors and geometric shapes and lines that are part of a much more complex process. But how did he first come up with this style? There's much more to his life than just the art he created - here are seven facts about Piet Mondrian that will make you want to know more:

1. He wanted to be a painter from an early age.

composition in white and black 1934 by Mondrian

Mondrian was a self-taught artist. He was born in Amersfoort, the Netherlands in 1872 and began painting at age 12. He studied at the Rijksakademie (national academy) in Amsterdam from 1892 to 1894; however, he never attended any other art school or conservatory.

In his early years as an aspiring artist, Mondrian was heavily influenced by Impressionist painters like Gustave Courbet and Edouard Manet. His early works were mostly realistic landscapes painted with broad strokes of color used to depict light on objects or scenery without much detail. For example, 1921's Tree with Red Spots depicts a tree set against different shades of green—from dark forest greens to pale yellow greens—and red spots that represent sunlight glinting off leaves.

Mondrian studied Cézanne's paintings during his time at the Rijksakademie because they "showed him how color could be used as structure." In fact, when viewed from far away this painting looks like blocks of color stacked on top of each other; however up close one can see brush strokes and details within each block that create depth in space between them all."

2. Mondrian was a very social person.

composition with yellow blue black and light blue y Mondrian

  • He was a member of the Dutch avant-garde movement.

  • He was friends with other famous artists such as Otto van Rees and Theo van Doesburg, who helped him with his paintings and ideas.

  • He was also friends with people who were not artists, like the philosopher Johan Huizinga, who taught Mondrian to play chess.

  • It is said that Mondrian liked to play music by Beethoven on his piano for his guests when they came over for dinner parties or holidays at his house

3. Mondrian didn't create his famous style overnight.

composition no 1 gray red by Mondrian

You’re probably familiar with Mondrian’s painting style, but did you know that it was a gradual process? While most people think of him as an abstract expressionist, he actually started out as a painter who painted in the style of his day. It wasn't until later in his career that he developed his signature look. Here are five facts about Mondrian to help you understand how he developed his art over time:

  • He was a cubist before becoming an abstract expressionist.

  • He created works inspired by neoplasticism before becoming known for geometric abstractionism.

4. He started out as a botanist.

trafalgar square artwork by Piet Mondrian

Piet Mondrian was a Dutch painter and artist who specialized in geometric abstractions. But before he became an artist, Piet was a botanist. He studied at the University of Amsterdam, where he focused on the way plants grow and change over time.

His interest in botany led him to study biology and chemistry at university. He also worked as an assistant to Armand Rijckaert, who collected algae for his studies on their reproduction processes (these were published by Rijckaert).

5. Piet Mondrian lived in different countries around the world.

New York city painting by Mondrian

Piet Mondrian lived in different countries around the world. He was born in Amersfoort, Netherlands; studied art at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague; then moved to Paris where he worked as a teacher before moving to London. In 1920, Piet Mondrian moved to New York City and began working at the National Academy of Design. After returning to Europe, Piet became a citizen of France in 1933 but remained active in his native Netherlands until 1940 when World War II forced him to leave again due to Nazi-occupation.

After fleeing war-torn Europe once more, Piet dedicated himself fully toward his artistic endeavors by creating works that reflected his love for simplicity and order with bold lines and primary colour blocks

6. Art was his only constant.

composition no 4 with red and blue 1942 by Mondrian

The first thing you’ll notice about Mondrian is that he never stopped creating art. Even though he was a successful businessman, he still managed to find time to make art every day. He started out as a painter, but his work evolved into collages, etchings and other mediums — he was always experimenting with new techniques and mediums.

As an artist, Mondrian was prolific; many of his pieces have been lost over time due to his constant experimentation with new styles and techniques (which often resulted in him destroying some of his older pieces).

7. He was inspired by the way things move and dance.

Piet Mondrian was inspired by the way things move and dance. He was also inspired by nature's growth and evolution, as well as people's interactions with each other and their environment. To him, these things were all part of one big cycle, which he called "the universal rhythm." The artist liked to create geometric paintings that were meant to evoke this universal rhythm using lines, shapes, colors and patterns in his work.

The life of Piet Mondrian is as interesting as his artworks.

Piet Mondrian was a social person. He loved to spend time with the other artists in Paris, often going out to galleries and museums with them. He also had many friends and family members who were artists, including his brother Theo and sister Elisabeth (who later became an artist herself).

Although Mondrian was inspired by nature, he wasn't a very good botanist. In fact, one of his biggest weaknesses was knowing what plants looked like! He'd often have trouble telling one plant from another—which is especially surprising when you consider how much time he spent studying them as an adult.

Mondrian started out as a painter but changed careers later on in life because he didn't feel that it was fulfilling enough anymore--he wanted something more meaningful that would bring him closer towards God's love instead."

Conclusion

Piet Mondrian was a fascinating person with an equally interesting life. He was influenced by many different cultures and was always looking for new ideas to incorporate into his work. We hope that this article has inspired you to learn more about him and even try drawing some of his famous compositions!

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