Painting Movement

De Stijl

De Stijl began in the Netherlands in 1917, bringing artists together around simple geometric forms, straight lines, and clear primary colors.

De Stijl quick facts

The movement sought harmony through a reduced visual vocabulary and extended its ideas from painting into architecture and everyday design.

De Stijl quick facts
Origin	Netherlands
Approximate period	1917–1931, with influence continuing afterward
Dutch name	De Stijl, meaning “The Style”
Founding publication	The journal De Stijl, established by Theo van Doesburg in 1917
Key painters	Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg, Bart van der Leck, and Vilmos Huszár
Defining characteristics	Rectangular planes, vertical and horizontal lines, asymmetrical balance, and simplified color
Typical colors	Red, yellow, blue, black, white, and gray; individual artists and periods varied
Artistic aim	Visual order and balance expressed through abstract relationships rather than observed subjects
Neo-Plasticism	Mondrian's closely related theory of abstract painting, also called Nieuwe Beelding; not a synonym for every work associated with De Stijl
Later variation	Van Doesburg's Elementarism introduced diagonals, departing from Mondrian's insistence on horizontals and verticals
Other disciplines	Architecture, furniture, graphic design, and applied arts as well as painting
Paint medium	Oil paint was among the media used for paintings
Painting surfaces	Canvas and other supports depending on the work

Mondrian developed a strict abstract vocabulary, van Doesburg connected the movement's artists, and van der Leck explored flat colored forms.

De Stijl painters and representative works
Painter	Known for	Representative work
Piet Mondrian	Grids, primary colors, asymmetrical balance, and Neo-Plasticist theory	Composition No. II, with Red and Blue (1929)
Theo van Doesburg	Founding and editing the journal; abstract painting and later diagonal compositions	Rhythm of a Russian Dance (1918)
Bart van der Leck	Flat primary-color planes, simplified shapes, and independent abstract experiments	Untitled (1917)
Vilmos Huszár	Early De Stijl designs, abstract painting, and graphic composition	Cover design for De Stijl (1917)

De Stijl shared geometric abstraction with Suprematism but pursued a distinctive balance of lines, rectangles, and primary-color planes.