This new plastic idea will ignore the particulars of appearance, that is to say, natural form and colour. On the contrary it should find its expression in the abstraction of form and colour, that is to say, in the straight line and the clearly defined primary colour.

Piet Mondrian

Categorized in : Ideas Expression Lines

Vertical and horizontal lines are the expression of two opposing forces; they exist everywhere and dominate everything; their reciprocal action constitutes 'life'. I recognized that the equilibrium of any particular aspect of nature rests on the equivalence of its opposites.

Piet Mondrian

expression opposites two

The emotion of beauty is always obscured by the appearance of the object. Therefore, the object must be eliminated from the picture.

Piet Mondrian

objects emotion appearance

abstract art is not the creation of another reality but the true vision of reality.

Piet Mondrian

vision reality art

Every true artist has been inspired more by the beauty of lines and color and the relationships between them than by the concrete subject of the picture.

Piet Mondrian

lines color artist

The position of the artist is humble. He is essentially a channel.

Piet Mondrian

humility humble art

Art is not made for anybody and is, at the same time, for everybody.

Piet Mondrian

art-is made art

It is possible that, through horizontal and vertical lines constructed with awareness, but not with calculation, led by high intuition, and brought to harmony and rhythm, these basic forms of beauty, supplemented if necessary by other direct lines or curves, can become a work of art, as strong as it is true.

Piet Mondrian

curves strong art

I wish to approach truth as closely as is possible, and therefore I abstract everything until I arrive at the fundamental quality of objects.

Piet Mondrian

quality fundamentals wish

The more basic the color, the more inward, the more pure.

Piet Mondrian

inward pure color

The surface of things gives enjoyment, their interiority gives life.

Piet Mondrian

enjoyment surface giving

I, too, find the flower beautiful in its outward appearance. But a deeper beauty lies concealed within.

Piet Mondrian

flower beautiful lying

Curves are so emotional.

Piet Mondrian

curves emotional emotion

The unconscious in us warns us that in art we have to followoneparticular path. And if wefollow it, it isnotthe sign of anunconscious act.On the contrary, it showsthat there is in our ordinary consciousness a greater awareness of our unconsciousness.

Piet Mondrian

path ordinary art

I don't want pictures, I want to find things out.

Piet Mondrian

want

Everything is expressed through RELATIONSHIPS.

Piet Mondrian

I think you too recognize the important relationship between philosophy and art, and it is just this relationship that most painters deny. The great masters do grasp it, unconsciously; but I believe that a painter's conscious spiritual knowledge will have a much greater influence upon his art, and that it would be due only to a weakness in him, or lack of genius, should this spiritual knowledge be harmful to his art.

Piet Mondrian

spiritual philosophy art

Intellect confuses intuition.

Piet Mondrian

intellect intuition

The relation of color and the relation of proportion are both based on the relation of position.

Piet Mondrian

proportion color relation

The truly modern artist is aware of abstraction in an emotion of beauty.

Piet Mondrian

modern emotion art

If you follow nature you will not be able to vanquish the tragic in any real degree in your art... We must free ourselves from our attachment to the external, for only then do we transcend the tragic, and are enabled consciously to contemplate the repose which is within all things.

Piet Mondrian

attachment real art