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Ashcombe Museum of Art & History
Paintings

Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue

Permanent ExhibitionPainting

Details

Author / creator
Piet Mondrian (Dutch, 1872–1944)
Object type
Painting
Date or period
1927
Dimensions summary
Framed: 62.2 × 62.6 × 10.8 cm; Unframed: 49.5 × 49.5 cm
Support
Canvas
Paint medium
  • Oil
Place of origin
Netherlands
Acquisition method
Donation
Credit line
Gift of Miss Dorothy Cardew, 1967
Image rights
Public domain (CC0)

About this object

During the 1910s, Piet Mondrian’s art progressed from Cubism to an increasingly abstract style based on the form of a grid. He completely abandoned the representation of natural appearances, limiting himself to horizontal and vertical rectangles and three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) along with black and white. Intensely intellectual and deeply philosophical, Mondrian believed that following the devastation of World War I, such abstract compositions could contribute to a more harmonious society by communicating in a universal, visual language.

Materials and technique

Oil on canvas

Signature and marks

signed lower center: P M '27

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