De Stijl, also called Neoplasticism, reacted to the strong trauma of World War I coming back to order. It was named after the Journal ‘De Stijl: Maandblad voor de moderne beeldende vakken [en kultuur]’ published to spread the group’s thought.
![Piet Mondrian (1872–1944), Victory Boogie Woogie (unfinished), 1942–1944. Geometric shapes realized in vivid primary colors are represented into a square form.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Victory-Boogie-Woogie-2.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/1649f80c-7953-4762-8061-0b5cb08dd8e4 by Tulip Hysteria / Go to albums
De Stijl / Neoplasticism: Characteristics
Neo-Plasticism thought that art was meant to express the absolutes of life. Mondrian mentioned his theory of Neo-Plasticism in Pictorial Art in the first dozen of the journal De Stijl. In 1920, he finished a book whose title was “Le Neo-Plasticisme”. This new art followed these fundamental principles:
- Only geometric shapes could be used;
- only primary colors were used;
- The use of non-objective art was important;
- Structured abstraction was used in paintings.
![Piet Mondrian Composition C (No.III) with red, yellow and blue geometric forms.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Piet-Mondrian-Composition-C-No.III_.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/ba80c9c9-494c-4b63-8bf0-1948a6722e6e by Kent Wang
![Piet Mondrian - Still Life with Gingerpot II](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Still-Life-with-Gingerpot-II-2.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/f84e0710-fa78-482e-b629-39d688ab794c by Tulip Hysteria / Go to albums
Piet Mondrian was a theorist and writer, he thought that art was about the underlying spirituality of nature. He made simple the subjects of his paintings to the most basic features, to underline the essence of the mystical energy in the balancing forces that governed nature and the whole universe.
![Piet Mondrian - Self-Portrait](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Piet-Mondrian-Self-Portrait.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/f5a116cf-9424-4a31-a37d-90894219767d by Kent Wang
![Piet Mondrian's portrait in black and white.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Piet-Mondrian.jpg)
Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet_Mondrian#/media/File:Piet_Mondriaan.jpg
De Stijl in Architecture
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created a whole new ground with his architectural projects. He began as a draftsman before starting his works. He, later on, became a famous architect in Germany, building such structures as the German Pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona Exposition.
![Mies van der Rohe Pavilion. Photo in black and white.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Mies-van-der-Rohe-Pavilion.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/10194596-ce58-4ffc-ba64-9e67e2a6dcc9 by Alexander.Hüls
![Mies van der Rohe Pavilion. Detail of a statue of a naked woman, realized in a dark opaque material. The woman has both of her hands above her head.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Mies-van-der-Rohe-Pavilion-statue.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/be367c26-907b-4d1b-8879-d1724ce0bee6 by malouette
![Rietveld Schroder House, detail of the house that highlights his simple colors and geometric ideas.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Rietveld-Schroder-House.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/2f6748d7-9701-497f-988a-048a7b70c6ed by on1stsite.
The Schroder House is the only building projected in the De Stijl style. It was marked by simple colors and geometric ideas. They are located in Utrecht and if faces a motorway built in the 1960s. Inside there is an open zone. Primary colors were chosen to make visible the plasticity of the facades.
![Rietveld Schroder House - Photo fo the interior designs. Upper level with the iconic chair designed by Rietveld.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Rietveld-Schroder-House-interior.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/748443fd-1660-400e-bdcd-2ea8ae60ca63 by ivtoran
Jacobus Johannes Pieter Oud was a Dutch architect. From 1918 to 1933, he was Municipal Housing Architect in Rotterdam. During this period, while many workers moved to the city, he mostly worked on socially innovative residential projects. This featured, in the areas of Spangen, Kiefhoek and the Witte Dorp.
![Gallery house at Weissenhof Estate designed by Jacobus Johannes Pieter Oud](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Gallery-house-at-Weissenhof-Estate-designed-by-Jacobus-Johannes-Pieter-Oud.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/df573b61-8cb4-4fe6-9c2b-4e693f92e8cd by Hobbes vs Boyle
De Stijil Furniture
The De Stijl movement wanted to create art and designs that were precise and accurate, recalling the ‘exactness’ and ‘efficiency’ of machines. Nature was taken out from the final design. This can be seen in Gerrit Rietveld’s ‘Red and Blue Chair‘ (1917-1918), representing De Stijl’s criteria for product concepts. The chair was originally finished with a natural wood finish but was later changed to the strict De Stijl color criteria.
![Chair realized according to the style. Red and blue are the prevalent colors, the chair is made of geometrical pieces.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Red-Blue-chair.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/f8ec4976-ea4a-4ccf-8699-0c9bca4af6d6 by DocinhoLelê
![Zig zag chair, realized in light wood, with a simple structure.](https://www.idesign.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Zig-Zag-Chair.jpg)
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/6fcc44f1-7171-416e-8040-da1c6374992f by macglee (Flickr account)
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