De Stijl (, ),
Dutch for "The Style", also known as
neoplasticism, was a Dutch
artistic movement founded in 1917. In a narrower sense, the term
De Stijl is used to refer to a body of work from 1917 to 1931 founded in the Netherlands.
is also the name of a journal that was published by the Dutch painter, designer, writer, and critic
Theo van Doesburg (1883–1931), propagating the group's theories. Next to van Doesburg, the group's principal members were the painters
Piet Mondrian (1872–1944),
Vilmos Huszàr (1884–1960), and
Bart van der Leck (1876–1958), and the architects
Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964),
Robert van 't Hoff (1887–1979), and
J.J.P. Oud (1890–1963). The artistic
philosophy that formed a basis for the group's work is known as
neoplasticism — the new plastic art (or
Nieuwe Beelding in Dutch).
Proponents of De Stijl sought to express a new
utopian ideal of spiritual harmony and order. They advocated pure
abstraction and universality by a reduction to the essentials of
form and
colour; they simplified visual compositions to the vertical and horizontal directions, and used only
primary colors along with
black and
white. Indeed, according to the
Tate Gallery's online article on neoplasticism, Mondrian himself sets forth these delimitations in his essay 'Neo-Plasticism in Pictorial Art'. He writes, "... 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." The Tate article further summarizes that this art allows "only primary colours and non-colours, only squares and rectangles, only straight and horizontal or vertical line." The
Guggenheim Museum's online article on De Stijl summarizes these traits in similar terms: "It [De Stijl] was posited on the fundamental principle of the geometry of the straight line, the square, and the rectangle, combined with a strong asymmetricality; the predominant use of pure primary colors with black and white; and the relationship between positive and negative elements in an arrangement of non-objective forms and lines."
Principles and influences
The name De Stijl is supposedly derived from
Gottfried Semper's
Der Stil in den technischen und tektonischen Künsten oder Praktische Ästhetik (1861–3), which Curl
suggests was mistakenly believed to advocate
materialism and
functionalism. In general, De Stijl proposed ultimate simplicity and abstraction, both in architecture and painting, by using only straight horizontal and vertical lines and rectangular forms. Furthermore, their formal vocabulary was limited to the primary colours,
red,
yellow, and
blue, and the three primary values,
black,
white, and
grey. The works avoided symmetry and attained aesthetic balance by the use of opposition. This element of the movement embodies the second meaning of stijl: “a post, jamb or support”; this is best exemplified by the construction of crossing joints, most commonly seen in carpentry.
In many of the group's three-dimensional works, vertical and horizontal lines are positioned in layers or planes that do not intersect, thereby allowing each element to exist independently and unobstructed by other elements. This feature can be found in the
Rietveld Schröder House and the
Red and Blue Chair.
De Stijl movement was influenced by
Cubist painting as well as by the mysticism and the ideas about "ideal" geometric forms (such as the "perfect straight line") in the
neoplatonic philosophy of
mathematician M.H.J. Schoenmaekers. The works of De Stijl would influence the
Bauhaus style and the
international style of architecture as well as clothing and interior
design. However, it did not follow the general guidelines of an “ism” (Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism), nor did it adhere to the principles of art schools like Bauhaus; it was a collective project, a joint enterprise.
In
music, De Stijl was an influence only on the work of composer
Jakob van Domselaer, a close friend of Mondrian. Between 1913 and 1916, he composed his
Proeven van Stijlkunst (Experiments in Artistic Style), inspired mainly by Mondrian's paintings. This minimalistic—and, at the time, revolutionary—music defined "horizontal" and "vertical" musical elements and aimed at balancing those two principles. Van Domselaer was relatively unknown in his lifetime, and did not play a significant role within the De Stijl group.
History
Early history
Page from De Stijl magazine.
From the flurry of new art movements that followed the
Impressionists' revolutionary new perception of painting,
Cubism arose in the early twentieth century as an important and influential new direction. In the
Netherlands, too, there was interest in this "new art."
However, because the Netherlands remained neutral in
World War I, Dutch artists were not able to leave the country after 1914 and were thus effectively isolated from the international art world—and in particular, from Paris, which was its centre at that time.
During that period, painter
Theo van Doesburg started looking for other artists to set up a
journal and start an art movement. Van Doesburg was also a writer, poet, and critic, who had been more successful writing about art than working as an independent artist. Quite adept at making new contacts due to his flamboyant personality and outgoing nature, he had many useful connections in the art world.
Founding of De Stijl
Around 1915, Van Doesburg started meeting the artists who would eventually become the founders of the journal. He first met
Piet Mondrian at an exhibition in the
Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum. Mondrian, who had moved to Paris in 1912 (and there, changed his name from "Mondriaan"), had been visiting the Netherlands when war broke out. He could not return to Paris, and was staying in the artists' community of
Laren, where he met
Bart van der Leck and regularly saw
M.H.J. Schoenmaekers. In 1915, Schoenmaekers published
Het nieuwe wereldbeeld (The New Image of the World), followed in 1916 by
Beginselen der beeldende wiskunde (Principles of Plastic Mathematics). These two publications would greatly influence Mondrian and other members of De Stijl.
Van Doesburg also knew
J.J.P. Oud and the Hungarian artist
Vilmos Huszàr. In 1917, the cooperation of these artists, together with the poet
Anthony Kok, resulted in the founding of De Stijl. The young architect
Gerrit Rietveld joined the group in 1918.
During those first few years, the group was still relatively homogeneous, although Van der Leck left in 1918 due to artistic differences of opinion.
Manifestos were being published, signed by all members. The social and economic circumstances of the time formed an important source of inspiration for their theories, and their ideas about architecture were heavily influenced by
Berlage and
Frank Lloyd Wright.
The name
Nieuwe Beelding was a term first coined in 1917 by Mondrian, who wrote a series of twelve articles called
De Nieuwe Beelding in de schilderkunst (Neo-Plasticism in Painting) that were published in the journal
De Stijl. In 1920, he published a book titled
Le Neo-Plasticisme.
After 1920
Theo van Doesburg,
Arithmetische Compositie (
1924).
Around 1921, the group's character started to change. From the time of van Doesburg's association with
Bauhaus, other influences started playing a role. These influences were mainly
Malevich and Russian
Constructivism, to which not all members agreed. In 1924, Mondrian broke with the group after van Doesburg proposed the theory of elementarism, proposing that the diagonal line was more vital than the horizontal and the vertical. In addition, the De Stijl group acquired many new "members."
Dadaist influences, such as
I.K. Bonset's poetry and
Aldo Camini's "antiphilosophy," generated controversy as well. Only after van Doesburg's death was it revealed that Bonset and Camini were two of his pseudonyms.
After van Doesburg's death
Theo van Doesburg died in
Davos in 1931. His wife,
Nelly, administered his estate.
Because of van Doesburg's pivotal role within De Stijl, the group did not survive. Individual members remained in contact, but De Stijl could not exist without a strong central character. Thus, it may be wrong to think of De Stijl as a close-knit group of artists. The members knew each other, but most communication took place by
letter. For example, Mondrian and Rietveld never met in person.
Many, though not all, artists did stay true to the movement's basic ideas, even after 1931. Rietveld, for instance, continued designing furniture according to De Stijl principles, while Mondrian continued working in the style he had initiated around 1920. Van der Leck, on the other hand, went back to figurative compositions after his departure from the group.
Influence on architecture
The De Stijl influence on architecture remained considerable long after 1931;
Mies van der Rohe was among the most important proponents of its ideas. Between 1923 and 1924,
Rietveld designed the
Rietveld Schröder House, the only building to have been created completely according to De Stijl principles. Examples of Stijl-influenced works by
J.J.P. Oud can be found in
Rotterdam (
Café De Unie) and
Hoek van Holland.
Present day
Works of De Stijl members are scattered all over the world, but De Stijl-themed exhibitions are organised regularly. Museums with large De Stijl collections include the
Gemeentemuseum at
The Hague (which owns the world's most extensive, although not exclusively De Stijl-related, Mondrian collection) and the
Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum, where many works by Rietveld and Van Doesburg are on display. The
Centraal Museum of
Utrecht has the largest Rietveld collection worldwide; it also owns the
Rietveld Schröder House, Rietveld's adjacent "show house," and the Rietveld Schröder Archives.
List of neoplasticists
This list is not exhaustive. Because of the loose associations many artists had with De Stijl, it is difficult to get a complete overview of contributors.
- Max Bill (1908–1994), painter, sculptor, architect and designer.
- Theo van Doesburg (1883–1931), painter, designer, and writer; published De Stijl, 1917–1931.
See also
