Synopses & Reviews
Piet Mondrian tested the limits of abstraction in his art. By radically simplifying composition and color, Mondrian sought to express only the universal absolutes that underlie reality, rather than reproducing images of real objects. As his career developed from Dutch landscape painter to influential modern artist, Mondrian cultivated the simplicity of his studio life with a growing severity and concentration. He reduced his means to the minimum; he had no wife or children to complicate his daily life or to upset the stillness of the studio. Though by the end of his life he was one of the most influential 20th century artists, his first one-man show preceded his death by only two years. Despite this, his artistic theories not only altered the course of painting, but also had a profound impact on architecture, industrial design, and the graphic arts. Accompanied by images of the artist's greatest work.