Calendar2014

The life of modern cultured man is gradually turning away from the natural: it is becom-ing more and more abstract. As the natural (the external) becomes more and more ‘au-tomatic,’ we see life’s interest centering more and more around the inward. The life of truly modern man is directed neither toward the material for its own sake, nor toward the predominantly emotional: it is rather the autonomous life of the human spirit becoming conscious. Modern man — although a unity of body, soul and mind — shows a changed consciousness: all expressions of life assume a different ap-pearance, a more determinate-ly abstract appearance.Art too, as the product of a new duality in man, is now expressed as the product of cultivated outwardness and of a deeper, more conscious

inwardness. As pure creation of the human mind, art is expressed as pure aesthetic creation, manifested in abstract form.

The truly modern artist consciously perceives the abstractness of the emotion of beauty: he consciously recognizes aesthetic emotion as cosmic, universal. This con-scious recognition results in an abstract creation, directs him toward the purely universal.

That is why the new art cannot be manifested as (naturalistic) concrete representation, which — even where universal vision is present — always points more or less to the particular, or in any case conceals the universal within it.

The new plastic cannot be cloaked by what is character-istic of the particular, natural form and color, but must be expressed by the abstraction of form and color — by means of the straight line and determi-nate primary color.

These universal plastic means were discovered in modern painting by the process of con-sistent abstraction of form and color: once these were discov-ered there emerged, almost of its own accord an exact plastic of pure relationship, the es-sential of all emotion of plastic beauty. Thus the new art is the determinate plastic expression of aesthetic relationships.

The contemporary artist constructs the new plastic expression in painting as a consequence of all previous creation — in painting, precise-

Neo-P

lastic

ism

in P

ain

ting

(1917

-1918

)

ly because it is least restricted. The growing profundity of the whole of modern life can be

In painting — in pictorial not decorative painting — natural-istic expression and naturalistic means become more inward,

Decorative art did no more than to generalize natural form and color.

Thus the feeling for the aes-thetic expression of relationship was brought to clarity in and by pictorial painting. In painting — which incorporates existing decorative art, or rather, becomes ‘true’ decorative art — the free construction of pure relationships can nevertheless remain somewhat limited; for although the essence of all art is one — and the feeling for aesthetic relationships increas-

ingly seeks more determinate expression in all the arts — not every art can express determi-nate relationships with equal consistency.Although the content of all art is one, the possibilities of plastic expression are different for each art. These possibil-ities must be discovered by each art and remain limited by its bounds.

Therefore the possibilities of one art cannot be viewed from those of another, but must be considered independently, and only in relation to the art concerned. Every art has its own emphasis, its particular

existence of the various arts. -

sis of the art of painting as the most consistent expression of pure relationships.

For it is painting’s unique privilege to express relation-ships freely — in other words, its means of expression (when

extreme opposites to be ex-pressed as the pure relation-ships of position — without resulting in forms, or even in the appearance of closed forms (as in architec-ture).

In painting, the duality of relationships can be shown in juxtaposition (on one plane), which is impossible in architec-ture or sculpture. Thus paint-ing is the most purely ‘plastic.’ The free plastic expression of position is unique to painting. The sister arts, sculpture and architecture are less free in this respect.

The other arts are even less free in transforming their plastic means: music is always tied to

sound, however much sound may be tensed into ‘tone’; dramatic art employs natural form as well as sound, and necessarily the word; literary art is expressed through the word, which strongly stresses the particular.Painting is capable of con-

interiorization of its plastic

means without overstepping their limits. Neoplastic painting remains pure painting: the plastic means remain form and color — interiorized to the extreme; straight line and plane color remain the pure pictorial means.With the advancing culture of the spirit, all the arts, despite their different expressions,

become more and more the plastic creation of equilibrated, determinate relationship: for equilibrated relationship most purely expresses the universal-ity, the harmony, the inherent unity of the spirit.

Through equilibrated relation-ship, unity, harmony, univer-sality are plastically expressed

By  Piet  Mondrian

Translated  from  the  Dutch  

by  Hans  L.C.  Jaffé.

In  De  Stijl.    (H.N.  Abrams.    

New  York:1971).

amid separateness, multiplicity, individuality — the natural. When we concentrate upon equilibrated relationship, we can see unity in the natural. In the natural, however, unity is manifested only in a veiled way. Although inexactly expressed in the natural, all appearance can nevertheless be reduced to this manifestation [of unity]. Therefore the exact plastic expression of unity can be created, must be created, be-cause it is not directly apparent in visible reality.

Whereas in nature equilibrated relationship is expressed by position, dimension, and value of natural form and color, in the ‘abstract’ it is expressed through position, dimension and value of the straight line and rectangular (color) plane.

In nature, we perceive that all relationship is governed by one relationship above all others: that of extreme opposites.

The abstract plastic of rela-tionship expresses this basic relationship determinately — by duality of position, the perpen-dicular. This relationship of position is the most equilibrat-ed because it expresses the relationship of extreme opposi-tion in complete harmony and includes all other relationships. If we see these two extremes as manifestations of the

inward and the outward, we

bond between spirit and life is unbroken — we see Neoplas-tic not as denying the full life, but as the reconciliation of the matter-mind duality.

If through contemplation we recognize that the existence of all things is aesthetically determined for us by equilibrat-ed relationships, then the idea of this manifestation of unity already had its seed in our consciousness: unity.

When mans consciousness grows from vagueness to determination his understand-ing of unity will become more and more determinate. The advanced consciousness of an age that has become deter-minate (the consciousness to which the time has arrived — the spirit of the age) necessar-ily express itself determinately. Thus art must necessarily express itself determinately.

If unity is seen ‘determinately,’ if attention is focused purely on the universal, then particularity, individuality will disappear from the expression as painting has shown. Only when the individual no longer stands in the way can universality be purely manifested. Only then can universal consciousness (intuition) — wellspring of all the arts — express itself directly;

a purer art arises. However, it does not arise before its time. The consciousness of an age determines the art expression:

age’s awareness. Only that art is truly alive which gives expression to the contem-porary — the future — con-sciousness.If we see man’s consciousness — in time — growing toward determination if we see it — in time — developing from indi-vidual to universal, then logical-ly the new art can never return to form-or to natural color. Then, logically the consistent growth and development of abstract plastic must progress to its culmination.

While one-sided development, lack of aesthetic culture, or tradition may oppose it tem-porarily — an abstract, a truly new plastic is necessary for the new man.

Only when the new conscious-ness becomes more general will the new plastic become a universal need: only then will all factors be present for its culmination.

However, the need for a new plastic exists because it has come into being through the contemporary artist: the essen-tials for the new plastic of the future are already there.

If the essential of all art, that which is characteristic in each art expression, lies in the

means, then we clearly see this essential in Neoplasticism’s

expression.

The new means testify to a new vision. If the aim of all art is to establish relationships only a more conscious vision can bring this aim to clear expres-sion — precisely through the plastic means.

use of the plastic means — composition — is the only pure plastic expression of art, then the plastic means must be in complete consonance with what they express. If they are to be a direct [40] “expression of the universal then they cannot be other than universal — abstract.

Composition leaves the artist the greatest possible freedom to be subjective — as long and insofar as this is necessary. The rhythm of relationship of color and dimension (in deter-minate proportion and equilib-rium) permits the absolute to appear within the relativity of time and space.

Thus the new plastic is dual-istic through its composition.

Through its exact plastic of cosmic relationship it is a direct expression of the universal; through its rhythm, through its material reality, it is an expres-sion of the subjective, of the individual.

In this way it unfolds a world of universal beauty without relinquishing the ‘universally human.’

Composition No. II, with Red and BluePainting1929 (original date partly oblit-erated; mistakenly repainted 1925 by Mondrian)Oil on canvas

JANUARYJanuary

Sunday

5

12

19

26

Monday

6

13

20

27

Tuesday

7

14

21

28

1

Wednesday

8

15

22

29

2

Thursday

9

16

23

30

3

Friday

10

17

24

31

4

Saturday

11

18

25

1

Notes:

Composition with Red, Blue, Black, Yellow, and GrayPainting1921Oil on canvas

FEBRUARYFebruary

26

Sunday

2

9

16

23

27

Monday

3

10

17

24

28

Tuesday

4

11

18

25

29

Wednesday

5

12

19

26

30

Thursday

6

13

20

27

31

Friday

7

14

21

28

1

Saturday

8

15

22

1

Notes:

Composition in Color APainting1917Oil on canvas

MARCHMarch

23

Sunday

2

9

16

23

30

24

Monday

3

10

17

24

31

25

Tuesday

4

11

18

25

26

Wednesday

5

12

19

26

27

Thursday

6

13

20

27

28

Friday

7

14

21

28

1

Saturday

8

15

22

29

Notes:

Composition with Color Planes 5Painting1917Oil on canvas

APRILApril

30

Sunday

6

13

20

27

31

Monday

7

14

21

28

1

Tuesday

8

15

22

29

2

Wednesday

9

16

23

30

3

Thursday

10

17

24

1

4

Friday

11

18

25

2

5

Saturday

12

19

26

3

Notes:

Broadway Boogie WoogiePainting1942-43Oil on canvas

MAYMay

27

Sunday

4

11

18

25

28

Monday

5

12

19

26

29

Tuesday

6

13

20

27

30

Wednesday

7

14

21

28

1

Thursday

8

15

22

29

2

Friday

9

16

23

30

3

Saturday

10

17

24

31

Notes:

Composition in White, Black, and RedPaintingParis 1936Oil on canvas

JUNEJune

1

Sunday

8

15

22

29

2

Monday

9

16

23

30

3

Tuesday

10

17

24

1

4

Wednesday

11

18

25

2

5

Thursday

12

19

26

3

6

Friday

13

20

27

4

7

Saturday

14

21

28

5

Notes:

Composition in Oval with Color Planes 1Painting1914Oil on canvas

JULYJuly

29

Sunday

6

13

20

27

30

Monday

7

14

21

28

1

Tuesday

8

15

22

29

2

Wednesday

9

16

23

30

3

Thursday

10

17

24

31

4

Friday

11

18

25

1

5

Saturday

12

19

26

2

Notes:

Composition with Red and BluePainting1933Oil on canvas

AUGUSTAugust

27

Sunday

3

10

17

24

31

28

Monday

4

11

18

25

29

Tuesday

5

12

19

26

30

Wednesday

6

13

20

27

31

Thursday

7

14

21

28

1

Friday

8

15

22

29

2

Saturday

9

16

23

30

Notes:

Composition with Red, Blue, and YellowPainting1930Oil on canvas

SEPTEM-September

31

Sunday

7

14

21

28

1

Monday

8

15

22

29

2

Tuesday

9

16

23

30

3

Wednesday

10

17

24

1

4

Thursday

11

18

25

2

5

Friday

12

19

26

3

6

Saturday

13

20

27

4

Notes:

Tableau I: Lozenge with Four Lines and GrayPainting1926Oil on canvas

OCTOBEROctober

28

Sunday

5

12

19

26

29

Monday

6

13

20

27

30

Tuesday

7

14

21

28

1

Wednesday

8

15

22

29

2

Thursday

9

16

23

30

3

Friday

10

17

24

31

4

Saturday

11

18

25

1

Notes:

Trafalgar SquarePainting1939-43Oil on canvas

NOVEM-November

26

Sunday

2

9

16

23

30

27

Monday

3

10

17

24

28

Tuesday

4

11

18

25

29

Wednesday

5

12

19

26

30

Thursday

6

13

20

27

31

Friday

7

14

21

28

1

Saturday

8

15

22

29

Notes:

Painting1941Oil on canvas

DECEM-December

30

Sunday

7

14

21

28

1

Monday

8

15

22

29

2

Tuesday

9

16

23

30

3

Wednesday

10

17

24

31

4

Thursday

11

18

25

1

5

Friday

12

19

26

2

6

Saturday

13

20

27

3

Notes:

Sk

etc

he

s:

Apple Tree drawingDrawing1912Charcoal on paper

Study of Trees IIDrawing1913Charcoal on paper

EucalyptusDrawing1910Oil on canvas

Trees at the Edge of a RiverDrawing1907Charcoal, estompe on buff aid paper

Church at DomburgDrawing1914Ink on paper

Chrysanthemum Drawing1921 - 1935Back and brown chalks with stumping on grey laid paper

Sketch for the Church of Saint JacobDrawing1897-1898Charcoal on beige paper