Everything about De Stijl totally explained
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For the album by The White Stripes, see De Stijl (album).
De Stijl (in
English generally, after
style; from the
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 founded in Holland, from
1917 to
1931.
De Stijl is also the name of a journal which 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.
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. Their formal vocabulary was limited furthermore 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 don't 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 the
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 didn't 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 only an influence on the work of the 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 painting. 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 didn't play a significant role within De Stijl group.
History
Early history
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, the 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'd many useful connections in the art world.
Founding of De Stijl
Around
1915, Van Doesburg started meeting the artists that 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 Holland when war broke out. He couldn't 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. 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
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, De Stijl group acquired many new 'members'.
Dadaist influences, such as
I.K.Bonset's poetry and
Aldo Camini's 'anti-philosophy' generated controversy as well. Only after Van Doesburg's death it was 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 didn't survive. Individual members remained in contact, but De Stijl couldn't 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'd 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 isn't exhaustive. Because of the loose associations many artists had with De Stijl, it's difficult to get a complete overview of contributors.
See also
Abstract ArtFurther Information
Get more info on 'De Stijl'.
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