Piet Mondrian Broadway Boogie-Woogie

Piet Mondrian 1872-1944

Dutch Painter

Known for white backgrounds with grids of vertical and horizontal black lines and three primary colors

Began his career as an elementary school teacher and painted on the side

Leader in abstract geometric art

Some people think that Mondrian’s painting look as if a child could have painted them. But, if you look closer, you can see that the paintings are very complex. The lines are made up of many tiny, precise brush strokes. If you could look at the painting from the side, you would see that the white sections are made up of many layers of paint that give the paintings dimension and texture. Some of his paintings, like Broadway Boogie-Woogie, actually shimmer.

Advertising and Art

Though Piet Mondrian was a classically trained and is known as a fine artist (not a commercial artist), he is considered the father of advertising design. His grid style has been adopted as the basic structure of graphic design layout.

Mondrian often hung his work at a 45 degree angle. This made the paintings appears as though they were part of a larger painting.

What do you see in this painting?

What colors does Mondrian use?

How does this painting make you feel?

This painting is titled Broadway Boogie-Woogie. Why do you think Mondrian chose that name? What name would you choose?