De Stijl was a circle of Dutch abstract artists who promoted a style of art based on a strict geometry of horizontals and verticals. Originally the name of a journal, the movement was founded in 1917 by two of its pioneers, Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg.
Facts
Founded In PlaceLeiden, Voorburg and Laren, Netherlands 1 Key PrincipleNeoplasticism, the programme Piet Mondrian set out in the movement's own journal, called for abstraction to ignore natural appearance, form and colour altogether, expressing itself instead only through the straight line and the primary colours. 1 Quoted from Mondrian's own programmatic essay for the movement's journal De Stijl, founded 1917 by Theo van Doesburg, rather than from a single dated founding manifesto text quoted in full by the source. Key PrinciplePursuit of an ideal fusion of form and function through a reduced, universal visual language of geometric forms and primary colors, meant for the modern era rather than as mere decoration. 2 Connections
Expressed In
Influenced
De Stijls geometric abstraction and rejection of ornament fed directly into the International Style of modern architecture.
Movement Members
Mondrian is the defining De Stijl painter.
A 1930 painting by Piet Mondrian, co-founder of De Stijl, standing among the clearest statements of his Neoplasticism, the movement's own key-principle.
Source Wikipedia
Co-founder of De Stijl with Theo van Doesburg in 1917; his own Neoplasticism essay is already cited as the movement's key-principle source.
Source Wikipedia
Canonical built example of De Stijl architecture, 1924.
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationDe Stijl, opening section and Principles and influences section
De Stijl was a Dutch art movement founded in 1917 by a group of artists and architects based in Leiden, Voorburg and Laren. / This theory initially adopted only primary colours and non-colours, only squares and rectangles, only straight and horizontal or vertical lines.
De Stijl, opening section
De Stijl is pronounced /de STAIL/ in English; Dutch pronunciation: [de STEIL], meaning The Style.
De Stijl, opening infobox
Years active 1917-1931.
De Stijl, After van Doesburg's death section
Theo van Doesburg died in Davos, Switzerland, in 1931. Because of van Doesburg's pivotal role within De Stijl, the group did not survive.
De Stijl, Principles and influences section
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
De Stijl, lead section
it was later translated to Neoplasticism in English
Movement Members: Piet Mondrian, Piet Mondrian, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet_Mondrian
Art is higher than reality and has no direct relation to reality
- Movement Members: Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow, Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composition_with_Red,_Blue_and_Yellow
View the Source 2. TheArtStory
The Art Story FoundationDe Stijl, Summary of De Stijl sectionQuote, De Stijl, Summary of De Stijl section
The Netherlands-based De Stijl movement embraced an abstract, pared-down aesthetic centered in basic visual elements such as geometric forms and primary colors...the ideal fusion of form and function.
Tate
Tate, United KingdomArt Terms: De StijlQuote, Art Terms: De Stijl
De Stijl was a circle of Dutch abstract artists who promoted a style of art based on a strict geometry of horizontals and verticals. Originally a publication, De Stijl was founded in 1917 by two pioneers of abstract art, Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded De Stijl?
Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg founded it in 1917. De Stijl began as the name of a journal before becoming the name of the circle of Dutch abstract artists who promoted its strict geometry of horizontals and verticals.
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