Research Trees

I came across a drawing of a tree by Piet Mondrian which I loved

Piet Mondrian Grey Tree 1912, oil on canvas, 78.5 × 107.5 cm

Mondrian has broken the form of the branches down and simplified it into basic shapes. You can see the characteristic shape of the branches and would still possibly be able to identify the type from this however. The curves of the branches and the way they repeated is very pleasing. I love the monochrome nature of this painting as well.

I then did some research and found that he actually did a series of tree paintings and it's possible to see the way he has progressed through the stages of abstraction to his simple grid shapes that we are more familiar with. He seems to analyse the branches and then break them down into squares and regular shapes.

Mondrian

Mondrian Trees in Blossom 1912. Oil on canvas.65 x 75 cm.

Mondrian Composition Trees II

Mondrian Composition

Mondrian ultimately was a contributor to the De Stijl art movement founded by Theo van Doesburg. This style was termed Neo-Plasticism and consisted of the grid of vertical and horizontal black lines on a white ground with the three primary colours. It was round about the time he painted these trees he became influenced by cubism and moved away from traditional styles of painting.