Composition (No. 1) Gray-Red

1935

After World War I, many artists, including Piet Mondrian, believed that abstract art could contribute to a more harmonious society by communicating in a universal visual language. In 1917 Mondrian joined the De Stijl movement, which sought to develop a new aesthetic that corresponded to their utopian vision, and began developing his distictive style: compositions of off-white grounds divided by black lines that framed blocks of primary colors.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Piet Mondrian Dutch, 1872–1944

Date

1935

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

57.5 × 55.6 cm (22 5/8 × 21 7/8 in.)

Origin

Netherlands

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Gilbert W. Chapman