Neoplasticism

Neoplasticism, conceived by Piet Mondrian, emerged as an avant-garde movement that sought to purify art by eliminating its superfluous elements and focusing on fundamental forms and colors. This trend, rooted in the rectitude of lines and the clarity of primary colors, solidified in the post-World War I years as an ideal of universal order and simplicity. Mondrian, as its main exponent, articulated these principles in his work, focusing on perfect harmony through balanced asymmetry and the restricted use of visual elements.

Mondrian's connection with De Stijl, although closely tied to the precepts of neoplasticism, is distinguished by the broader scope of the former, which encompassed not only painting but also design, architecture, and furniture. While neoplasticism is more specifically centered on painting and its theory, De Stijl represents a collective of artists and architects, such as Theo van Doesburg, who shared a similar aesthetic vision but with broader and more varied applications.

Theo van Doesburg, another pioneer of this movement, conducted experiments in 1917 that culminated in his work "Composition VIII (The Cow)" in 1918. This study of forms, which deconstructed a figurative image into an abstract pattern of lines and colors, illustrates the transition from figurative to abstract art that De Stijl and neoplasticism promoted.

Influenced by earlier movements such as Cubism, which fragmented form to explore composition from multiple perspectives, neoplasticism proposed an even more radical vision: reducing representation to the essential and the universal. In turn, this movement influenced the later development of minimalist art and modern design, where simplicity and functionality became guiding principles.

Neoplasticism, through figures like Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg, redefined the aesthetics of 20th-century art and established foundations for future artistic explorations that continue to resonate in contemporary design and art theory.