Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) Straight-Line Collage

About Piet Mondrian Dutch abstract painter Neo-Plasticism paintings: White background Grid of horizontal and vertical black lines Primary Colors Born in Netherlands, 1872 Studied teaching & art Also lived in Paris, France – London, England - New York, USA

Composition Red, Yellow, Blue

Balance Formal / Symmetrical Balance Informal / Asymmetrical Balance http://ajlearningworks.com/portfolio/balance_lesson/balance2.html In every two-dimensional representation there is balance or there is not. Not having balance does not mean the composition is incorrect. An artist may have a reason for ignoring the principle of balance, but in most cases, balance will be present in a well-designed composition. If the art is balanced, it will fall into one of two categories: symmetrical or asymmetrical. A symmetrical representation can be folded down the middle, either vertically or horizontally, or both, and the two sides will match. If they match perfectly, the design is said to be symmetrically exact. Note the black vertical axis shown to mark the division of the two halves. Here we have a symmetrically exact design. It is not necessary for a composition to be exact in order to be symmetrical, as we will see later. An asymmetrical representation is balanced using colors, shapes, space and textures in such a way as to give one a feeling of balance. For instance, in the above picture, the green square is offset by the two red circles, both colors at the same intensity. The circles and square balance each other much as a pound of bananas would balance a pound of apples on an old fashioned scale. The two elements may be different, but they are equal in "weight". See what happens when the intensity of the green is lowered? The picture has become unbalanced. The two bright red circles give the picture a feeling of heaviness on the right. Sometimes, however, the intensity of one color, even if the element is very small, can balance a large element with a less intense color. See what happens when we use one very small red circle next to the large, light green square? The picture begins to come into balance again. Unbalanced Unbalanced 4

Broadway Boogie-Woogie His painting Broadway Boogie-Woogie (1942–43) at The Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan was highly influential in the school of abstract geometric painting. The piece is made up of a number of shimmering squares of bright color that leap from the canvas, then appear to shimmer, drawing the viewer into those neon lights. In this painting and the unfinished Victory Boogie Woogie (1942–44), Mondrian replaced former solid lines with lines created from small adjoining rectangles of color, created in part by using small pieces of paper tape in various colors. Larger unbounded rectangles of color punctuate the design, some with smaller concentric rectangles inside them. While Mondrian's works of the 1920s and 1930s tend to have an almost scientific austerity about them, these are bright, lively paintings, reflecting the upbeat music that inspired them and the city in which they were made. 5

Imitating Mondrian’s Style

Composition II

Art Masterpiece Project Cut out squares & rectangles Arrange shapes on white paper Leave some areas of white paper visible Use Informal / Asymmetrical Balance Glue shapes Use black strips to make the grid design Use only squares, rectangles and black lines to create your masterpiece