Artwork
Composition in Oval with Color Planes 1
Composition in Oval with Color Planes 1 is an oil painting by the De Stijl artist Piet Mondrian. It dates from 1914 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1914, Composition in Oval with Color Planes 1 is an oil painting by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian. The work is set within an oval border and consists of a network of rectangular planes rendered in pink, blue, yellow, white and exposed canvas. Black lines delineate the shapes, producing a balanced arrangement that exemplifies Mondrian’s move toward pure abstraction.
Subject & Meaning
The painting does not depict recognizable objects; instead it explores the interaction of geometric forms and primary hues. By arranging the rectangles within an oval field, Mondrian seeks a visual equilibrium that reflects his interest in universal harmony, using color and line to suggest a non‑representational order.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas, the piece employs flat, unmodulated color fields bounded by crisp black contours. The limited palette and reduction of forms align it with the De Stijl movement, which advocated a reduction to essential geometric elements and a restrained chromatic range.
History & Provenance
Mondrian painted this work during the early phase of his abstract development, shortly before the formal founding of De Stijl in 1917. The painting remained in private collections for much of the twentieth century before entering a museum collection, where it is displayed as an early example of his systematic approach to abstraction.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan (Dutch:; 7 March 1872 – 1 February 1944), known after 1911 as Piet Mondrian (, US also; Dutch: ), was a Dutch painter and art theoretician, who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.
