This is an early example of the geometric mode of painting that Mondrian called Neo-Plasticism. The abstract two-dimensional nature of these compositions formed a new universal aesthetic language that was popularised through the magazine De Stijl. The avant-garde movement known by the same name held the promise of constructing a postwar world with a common point of visual reference, a way of abolishing artistic and even social hierarchies.

Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
19 1/2 × 19 1/2 in. (49.5 × 49.5 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Credit Line:
Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection, 1998