That Mondrian was a painter is common knowledge, but that he also wrote a lot is still underexposed. In Mondriaan in Word and Image, publicist Louis Veen introduces readers to this side of the artist. Veen also shows how Mondrian explored certain themes while painting by creating multiple versions of them.
On Wednesday 23 March at 3.30pm, Louis Veen will present his latest book Mondrian in Word and Image. The book launch is free to attend with museum admission.
Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) is considered one of the founding fathers of abstract painting. His work was a major influence on the development of modern art. In Mondrian in Word and Image introduces the reader to two somewhat less well-known 'faces' of the painter: his serial work (Image) and his writing (Word).
Mondrian paints the same subject (sea, church towers, windmills, etc.) several times. He also creates series during his abstract period. But then it is the same combinations of black lines that keep recurring in his compositions. Thus, he made dozens of series based on a particular subject or line combination. Because for Mondrian writing was as important as painting, a piece of the painter's essay or letter fragment is added to each series of three paintings, so that it is immediately clear what Mondrian painted in a particular period and what he wrote about it. Linking his painted to his written work has not been done before in books about the painter and exposes the thinking behind Mondrian's (abstract) paintings.
Practical information
Date and time: Wednesday 23 March at 3.30pm
Location: DIY studio at the Mondrian House
Book launch is free with museum visit
Booking is not necessary