Piet Mondrian

Pieter Cornelis "Piet" Mondrian (March 7, 1872 – February 1, 1944), was an influential Dutch painter, and one of the founders of the Dutch modern movement De Stijl. He also evolved a non-representational form that he termed neoplasticism, which consisted of white ground, upon which he painted a grid of vertical and horizontal black lines and the three primary colors.

In 1908 Piet Mondrian became interested in the Theosophical Society. Blavatsky believed that it was possible to attain a knowledge of nature more profound than that provided by empirical means, and much of Mondrian's work for the rest of his life was inspired by his search for that spiritual knowledge.

He radically simplified the elements of his paintings to reflect what he saw as the spiritual order underlying the visible world, creating a clear, universal aesthetic language within his canvases.

Online Resources

• "Mondrian and Theosophy – Part one" http://www.theosophyforward.com/index.php/theosophy-and-the-society-in-the-public-eye/643-mondrian-and-theosophy-part-one.html
• "Mondrian and Theosophy – Part two" http://www.theosophyforward.com/theosophy-and-the-society-in-the-public-eye/686-mondrian-and-theosophy-part-two-
• "Theosophy and the Emergence of Modern Abstract Art" by Kathleen Hall| Originally printed in the May - June 2002 issue of Quest magazine. | Citation: Hall, Kathleen. "Theosophy and the Emergence of Modern Abstract Art." Quest 90.3 (MAY - JUNE 2002) https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/42-publications/quest-magazine/1446-theosophy-and-the-emergence-of-modern-abstract-art
• "The influence of Theosophy on Mondrian’s neoplastic work [La influencia de la teosofía sobre la obra neoplástica de Mondrian]" by Pablo Bris-Marino http://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/ARIS/article/viewFile/42960/44024