Artwork
Composition with Grid 4 (Lozenge)
Composition with Grid 4 (Lozenge) is an oil painting by the De Stijl artist Piet Mondrian. It dates from 1919 and is held in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1919, Composition with Grid 4 (Lozenge) is an oil painting by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian. The work consists of a white-framed surface filled with a network of intersecting lines that generate a pattern of triangles and squares. A warm beige ground underlies the composition, while darker grid lines provide contrast, producing a restrained, orderly visual field.
Subject & Meaning
The painting is non‑representational, embodying Mondrian’s pursuit of universal harmony through pure geometric form. By reducing visual language to line, shape, and limited hue, the work seeks to express an abstract balance that transcends specific subject matter, reflecting the artist’s belief in a timeless, rational aesthetic.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas, the piece employs a flat application of pigment, avoiding visible brushwork. The grid is rendered with crisp, black lines that intersect at right angles, forming a series of lozenge‑shaped spaces. The restrained palette, beige ground, white frame, and dark lines, aligns with the De Stijl emphasis on simplicity and structural clarity.
History & Provenance
Mondrian painted this composition shortly after his involvement with the De Stijl group, a period marked by his shift from figurative to abstract art. The work entered private collections in the early twentieth century before being acquired by a public institution, where it remains part of the museum’s modern art holdings.
Context
Composition with Grid 4 (Lozenge) belongs to the early phase of Mondrian’s mature abstraction, a time when he was articulating the principles of De Stijl, geometric reduction, primary colors, and a universal visual language. The painting reflects the broader post‑World War I search for order and rationality in art, paralleling contemporary developments in architecture and design.
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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.
