Neoplasticism
Neoplasticism, known in Dutch as Nieuwe Beelding (New Visualization), is an
(Historically, the term "plastic arts" pre-dates Neoplasticism and denotes visual art forms (painting, sculpture, and ceramics) as opposed to literature or music. The terms plasticity and plasticism became more widely used in the early 20th century by critics discussing modern painting, particularly the works of Paul Cézanne.[3])
Origin
Mondrian, known for his distinctive geometric compositions using primary colors and straight lines, referred to "pure plastic art" [4] as a term to describe his style of abstract painting. He was probably influenced, at least initially, by Het Nieuwe Wereldbeeld [The New Image of the World], published by Mathieu Schoenmaekers in 1915, who "wrote of the pre-eminence of verticals and horizontals ... and the importance of the primary colours".[5] Mondrian used the term "nieuwe beelding" in his 1917 Dutch essay, De Nieuwe Beelding in de schilderkunst ['Neo-plasticism in Pictorial Art'].[5] (In Dutch, the word beeldend may be translated as visual, plastic or picturesque,[6] but Chilvers says that, in this context, image forming or image creating is more appropriate and thence that nieuwe beelding can be rendered as new image creation: Chilvers remarks that the translation into German, neue Gestaltung "is closer to the complexity of its meaning in Dutch".[5])
The terms beeldend and nieuwe beelding have caused more problems of interpretation than any others in the writing of Mondrian and other De Stijl contributors who adopted them.
In 1920, Mondrian published his essay in French, "Le Néo-Plasticisme: Principe général de l'équivalence plastique" ['Neo-Plasticism: The general principle of plastic equivalence']. [8] The French term néo-plasticisme was translated into English as neo-plasticism.[7][5] In 1937, Mondrian published an essay in English, entitled "Plastic Art and Pure Plastic Art (Figurative Art and Non-Figurative Art) ",[4] which describes "plastic art" as "individual", "objective" and "figurative", whereas "pure plastic art" is "universal, "subjective" and "non-figurative". Mondrian writes: "In pure plastic art the significance of different forms and lines is very important; it is precisely this fact which makes it pure." [4]
For Mondrian, "pure plastic art" encompassed the idea of creating universal (as opposed to individual) art that was focused on the fundamental elements of form, color, line, and space. He aimed to express universal truths and principles through the arrangement of these elements within the confines of the canvas. Mondrian believed that by simplifying and reducing art to its most basic components, he could evoke a sense of harmony, balance, and order that resonated with a deeper spiritual reality. [5] In his pursuit of "pure plastic art", Mondrian developed his signature style known as "Neoplasticism", adopted by the De Stijl group and characterized by grids of black lines intersecting with planes of primary colors (red, blue, yellow) and non-colors (white, black, and gray). Through this style, Mondrian sought to transcend the material world and connect with a higher, spiritual realm through pure abstraction and geometric harmony.[9]
Mondrian's views on neo-plasticism
Although art is the plastic expression of our aesthetic emotion, we cannot therefore conclude that art is only 'the aesthetic expresson of our subjective sensations'. Logic demands that art be the plastic expression of our whole being: therefore it must be equally the plastic appearance of the non-individual, the absolute and annihilating opposition of subjective sensations. That is, it must also be the direct expresson of the universal in us - which is the exact appearance of the universal outside us.
— Piet Mondrian, Neo-Plasticism: The General Principle of Plastic Equivalence [10]
References
- ISSN 0950-4125. (book review)
- ^ "Neo-plasticism". Tate. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ISBN 9780300147155.
- ^ ISBN 0-571-09552-6.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-923965-8.
- ^ "beeldend". Google Translate. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ OCLC 781581210.
- ^ Mondrian, P. (1920). Le Néo-plasticisme. Editions de l'Effort Modern, Léonce Rosenberg, Paris.
- ISBN 9780500600115.
- ISBN 9780500600115.
Further reading
- Bax, Marty (2001) Mondriaan compleet, Alphen aan den Rijn: Atrium, ISBN 90-6113-929-5.
- Bock, Manfred, Vincent van Rossem en Kees Somer (2001) Cornelis van Eesteren, architect, urbanist [deel 1], Rotterdam: NAi Publishers, Den Haag: EFL Stichting, ISBN 90-7246-962-3.
- Bonset, I.K. (July 1922) ‘Beeldende verskunst en hare verhouding tot de andere kunsten’, De Stijl, vol. 5, no. 6, pp. 88–89.
- Doesburg, Theo van (October 1917) ‘Ter inleiding’, De Stijl, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1–2.
- Doesburg, Theo van (November 1918) ‘Aanteekeningen over monumentale kunst’, De Stijl, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 10–12.
- Doesburg, Theo van (1919) Drie voordrachten over de nieuwe beeldende kunst, Amsterdam: Maatschappij voor goede en goedkoope lectuur.
- Doesburg, Theo van (March 1920) ‘Aanteekeningen bij de Bijlagen VI en VII’, De Stijl, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 44–46.
- Doesburg, Theo van (February 1922) ‘Der Wille zum Stil (Neugestaltung von Leben, Kunst und Technik)’, De Stijl, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 23–32.
- Doesburg, Theo van (March 1922) 'Von den neuen Ästhetik zur materiellen Verwirklichung', De Stijl, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 10–14.
- Horst Richter. Geschichte der Malerei im 20. Jahrhundert. Köln. 1988
- Engel, Henk (2009) "Theo van Doesburg & the destruction of architectural theory", in: Gladys Fabre en Doris Wintgens Hötte (red.), Van Doesburg & the international avant-garde. Constructing a new world, [London]: Tate Publishing, ISBN 978-1-85437-872-9, pp. 36–45.
- Fabre, Gladys (2009) "A universal language for the arts: interdisciplinarity as a practice, film as a model", in: Gladys Fabre en Doris Wintgens Hötte (red.), Van Doesburg & the international avant-garde. Constructing a new world, [London]: Tate Publishing, ISBN 978-1-85437-872-9, pp. 46–57.
- Frampton, Kenneth (1982) "Neoplasticisme en architectuur: formatie en transformatie", in Mildred Friedman (red.) De Stijl: 1917-1931, Amsterdam: Meulenhoff/Landshoff, ISBN 90-2908-052-3.
- Huszàr, Vilmos (March 1918) ‘Aesthetische beschouwingen III (bij bijlagen 9 en 10)’, De Stijl, vol. 1, no. 5, pp. 54–57. See Digital Dada Archive.
- Jaffé, H.L.C. (1983) Theo van Doesburg, [Amsterdam]: Meulenhoff/Landshoff, ISBN 90-290-8272-0.
- Mondriaan, Piet (oktober 1917) ‘De nieuwe beelding in de schilderkunst. 1. Inleiding’, De Stijl, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 2–6.