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| Recreation of Mondrian's Paris studio |
After some work-related activities, we went to the Berlage
Museum in the Hague to see an exhibit called “The Great Discovery,” which
describes a meeting between the sculptor Alexander Calder (1898-1976) and the
Dutch painter and innovator Piet Mondrian (who died in 1944) in Mondrian’s Paris studio
in 1930.
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| Calder's sculpture before meeting Mondrian |
Calder was an American who was already a successful artist who made
wire sculptures, such as the one in the photo of the tennis player Helen
Wills.
Mondrian was a co-founder of a somewhat radical journal called “De
Stijl” (pronounced “de style” in English) in 1917.
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| Contemplating the unfinished Mondrian painting "Victory Boogie Woogie" |
The group wanted to advance
ideas of modern design in neutral peaceful Holland while WW I was occurring.
Their idea was to merge painting, architecture, design, sculpture, and
furniture into one integrated design. They blurred the boundaries between “art”
that you put on the walls and “art” that is part of your everyday activities.
They only used the primary colors yellow, red, and blue and the “non-colors”
grey, black, and white.
The exhibit recreated Mondrian’s Paris studio, as seen
in the photo. After the visit, Calder dramatically changed his style, evolving
into abstract concepts such as what is shown in the later photo of the mobile.
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| Calder sculpture after meeting Mondrian |
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