| |
This is a detail from one of my favourite Mondrian photos,
taken
from Deicher's Structures in
Space [4 p92]. There is no information given on the circumstances.
An article in Studio
International magazine, December 1966 (reproduced
here) describes the picture as
Piet Mondrian, photographed by Cecil Stephenson in 1938 or 1939. |
 |
|
1872 |
Pieter Cornelius Mondriaan was born in Amersfoort
on March 7th. He was the eldest of five children. His father was a
headmaster and was fond of drawing.
|
Mondrian's parents
[5 p26] |
|
1880 |
The family moved to Winterswijk. He began to draw
and paint at an early age. He obtained instructions and lessons from his
father, from his uncle: the painter Frits Mondriaan, and from the
Doetichemse painter Jan Braet von Ueberfeld.
Obtained elementary and intermediate drawing diplomas by private study.
The picture is from Seuphor
[5]
and the
Musée
d'Orsay exhibition catalogue lists the details
[6 p28]:
Carel (1880-1956), Pieter
Cornelius (Piet), Johanna Christina (1870-1939), Willem Frederik
(1874-1945), Louis (1877-1943). |
Mondrian with sister
and brothers [5 p27] |
|
1892-1897 |
For three years attended the painting classes
held by the Rijks academie in Amsterdam under
1892-1897 August Allebe and then attended the evening course for another two
years. According to the
Mondriaanhuis biography entry for 1897, Mondrian wanted to study Art in
England but could not obtain entry. |
|
|
1897-1904 |
Worked in the neighbourhood of Amsterdam, at
Amstel, Gein (often together with Simon Maris) and
Vecht, among other places, and also on a few occasions in Brabant for a
short time.
In order to earn his livelihood, he made copies in museums: portraits and
scientific drawings for Professor van Calcar in
Leiden (1905-1906).
Painted landscapes particularly in the style of the Hague and Amsterdam
impressionists. Admired Breitner. |
Mondrian 1899
[5 p27] |
|
1900 |
Blotkamp states that 'as far as we know, the only time that the young
Mondrian ventured abroad on his own initiative was the brief visit he made
to London (probably in 1900).' [7 p22]
The Catalogue
notes that the summer of 1900 is
the 'likely date of a trip to Cornwall, England, for a visit with his
drawing student and a teacher of English in Amsterdam, Hannah Crabb, during
which he apparently produced the painting, Rocky coast in England
(A241).' [8 vI p121] |
A241 from the
Catalogue
[8 vI p248] |
|
1901 |
Seuphor
suggests that he took a "short trip to Spain with Simon Maris".
[5 p434]
And here's the evidence. Two
pictures I have not seen before, from the
Musée
d'Orsay catalogue , attributed to the Simon Maris
archives and described as [6 p86]:
Piet Mondrian and his
friends, 1903. Mondrian, Maris and d'Ewoud Groeneveld before embarking for
Bilbao.
Piet Mondrian in Spain,
1903. Simon Maris and Mondrian at a bullfight. |
[6 p86]
[6 p86] |
| |
Another from the Maris archive dated 1904.
Mondrian and Maris and friends
on the banks of the Gein, summer 1904.
|
[6 p93] |
|
1904-1905 |
Lived in Brabant at Uden. During this period he
began for the first time consciously to seek his own less subjectively
impressionistic style. |
|
|
1905-1908 |
Returned to Amsterdam. First had his studio in
the St. Lucas garret in the Rembrandtplein and later lived
at 272 Albert Cupstraat. Was a member of St. Lucas and exhibited with
this Association until 1910. For those giving him commissions he
painted occasionally in the older style. In these
years his work sometimes had a symbolic thread. |
Mondrian in his Rembrandtplein studio,
1905 [5 p29] |
|
1907 |
Worked the entire summer at Oele near Hengelo in
Overijssel with the painter Hulshoff Poll.
In 1908 he probably stayed for a short time in Domburg. Knew and admired Jan
Toorop and became friendly with Jan Sluyters. At
the beginning of 1909 a big exhibition together
with Corn. Spoor and Jan Sluyters in the Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum. Here he
exhibited Fauvistic work for the first time.
The picture right is described
in Bois as Portrait of Mondrian from
Lurasco's Onze moderne Meesters, 1907. Photograph by Jac. Vetter
[9, p26] |
Mondrian 1907
[9, p26] |
|
1909-1910 |
Stayed in Domburg, where Toorop also came
regularly. Gave lessons to Jacoba van
Heemskerck. This stay became extremely important for his development. Seuphor notes that in January 1909
he had a 'sensational exhibition with Cornelius Spoor and Jan Slutyers at
the Municipal Museum, Amsterdam.' Seuphor [5] |
|
|
1910-1911 |
Returned to Amsterdam. Lived at 42 Sarphatipark.
Sought to tauten his form, went over to cubism. Was a joint founder of the
Moderne Kunstkring (Modern Art Circle).
Photograph from
Bois, described as,
'Mondrian in the living area
of his studio before he repainted it. Sarphatipark 42. Photograph by R.
Drektraan.' The book goes on to note that he painted 'the floor and
wainscoting of his studio black and the walls and furniture white'
[9, p27] |
[9, p27] |
|
1911 |
On December 20th he went to
Paris on the advice of Conrad Kikkert. Settled at 26 Rue de Départ,
where Kikkert and Lod. Schelfhour also lived. He admired the cubist work of
Picasso and Léger and rapidly developed further
interest in that direction. |
|
| |
A photograph by Alfred Roth of Mondrian's studio
on the top floor, 26 Rue du Départ,
Paris, 1928.
from Blotkamp
[7 p149]
|
26 Rue du Départ,
Paris, 1928
[7 p149] |
|
1911-1916 |
Via cubism he progressively diverged farther away
from representation in the direction of abstraction without specific subject
(series: trees and facades). |
Mondrian 1912, from
his copying pass for the Musée du Louvre |
|
1913 |
Represented at the Erster Deutscher
Herbstsalon in Berlin and at the Salon des Independants in Paris |
|
|
1914 |
Returned to Holland for a short visit but was
compelled to stay four years owing to the outbreak of the first world war.
Stayed for a short time in Domburg and for the rest of these years lived at
Laren. The
picture of the studio in Laren is from the Logboek. |
The studio in Laren
[11 p83] |
|
1915 |
Made the acquaintance
of Theo van Doesburg. |
|
|
1916 |
Made the acquaintance of
Bart van der Leek, whose
experiments with flat colour
were of importance for his further development.
|
 |
|
1917-1920 |
Transition to neo-plasticism. |
|
|
1917 |
With van Doesburg and some others he was the
founder of the Journal De Stijl (Style)
and published a series of articles therein. |
|
|
1919 |
Returning to Paris,
Mondrian lived
first on the top floor of at 5 Rue du Coulmier, then settled again at his old address of 26
Rue du Départ and, in March 1936 moved to at 278
Boulevard Raspail. |
5 Rue du Coulmiers,
1994
[7 p143] |
|
1920 |
Leonce Rosenberg attended to the publication
of his writings Le Neo-Plasticisme, in
which he set out his ideas regarding the Nieuwe Beelding
(Neo Plasticism). From
1920 onwards, he permitted only horizontal
and vertical lines and primary colours in his
work. |
Mondrian 1920 |
|
1922 |
A review exhibition was organised in the
Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum by the Hollandse
Kunstenaarskring (Dutch Circle of Artists) on the occasion of
his fiftieth birthday. |
|
| 1925 |
A difference of opinion regarding Neo-plasticism
caused him to break with van Doesburg. From then on he no longer worked on
De Stijl. The Weimar Bauhaus published
Neue Gestaltung, a translation of his Le
Neo-Plasticisme.
The photograph is from
Bois, described as,
'At the Exposition des
Arts Decoratifs, Paris, May 1925 (from left): Tieske Vantongerloo,
Paul F. Sanders, Lucia Moholy-Nagy, Lászió Moholy-Nagy, Mondrian,
Georges Vantongerloo. Photographer unknown.'
|
1925 [9,
p27] |
| |
Reconstruction of Mondrian's studio at
Rue du
Départ,
from the book of that name [2].
And from the same source, this is Mondrian's card with his sketch of how to
get to his flat [2, p31].
The building was demolished in the late 1930s. |
Rue du Départ
reconstruction
[2, p49] |
|
1926 |
Thanks to Miss Dreier, takes part for the
first time in a big exhibition in America
[5 p435]. |
|
|
1930 |
Exhibition in Paris of the Circle and Square
group, of which he is one of the most important members
[5 p435]. |
|
|
1936 |
Leaves
Rue du Départ and takes a
studio at 278
Boulevard Raspail.
The picture is from the
Catalogue and described as 'Mondrian's youngest brother Carel and his wife
Mary Mondriaan-Van den Berg, visiting Mondrian in his studio at 278
Boulevard Raspail, August 1936.
At left, Composition en Blanc, Noir et Rouge (B269), Composition in White,
Blue and Yellow (B267), and Composition en Blanc, Rouge et Bleu (B268). In
front of table, Composition with Double Line and Yellow, 1932 (B237)'
[8 vII p 165] |
Mondrian in his
studio at 278
Boulevard Raspail, 1936
[8 vII p 165] |
| 1938
|
The threat of a second world war made him decide
to leave Paris, setting out on 21st September. He
first stayed at the Ormonde Hotel, Belsize Grove, then moved to 60 Parkhill Road, NW3. Here he
was in
contact with the English group of artists known as Circle,
which included Nicholson, Hepworth, Martin and Gabo.
I'll have to go and photograph it myself, if it
is still there, in the meantime,
here's a map.
Here it is, snapped on a dull October day (20th
Oct 2002), together with his (traditional London) Blue Commemorative Plaque,
added in 1964. |
60 Parkhill Road,
2002 [10] |
|
Thanks to the current occupants for their
cooperation. Apparently, he used a studio at the rear of the ground floor.
It is currently occupied by another artist and recently flooded, tragically
destroying all her work.
'On the morning of 9th
September 1940, two days after the blitz begins, a bomb hits the other
side of Parkhill Road several houses away, breaking his windows and thus
forcing him to leave. For the rest of his time in London [he] lives at the
Ormonde Hotel. On 13th September writes farewell letters to Ben
Nicholson, Hepworth and Winifred Nicholson. Boards ship in Liverpool on 21
September, but due to the blitz does not sail until two days later.'
[9, p75]
The Ormande is now flats.
I will get a snap of the building soon. Here's a
map.
|
60 Parkhill Road,
2002 [10] |
|
Here's what I have been
looking for - the Catalogue
notes that he 'departed from
Liverpool aboard the Cunard White Star Lines ship Samaria'
[8 vII p173].
Arrived New York 3rd
October. The colour picture is
rather more impressive than the b&w postcard from eBay.
[Dec 2002] According to Cunard,
the "Samaria was requisitioned for trooping duties in 1939", and would not
have been taking passengers to New York in 1940. I am hoping to clarify this
through the Cunard Archive held at the University of Liverpool.
|
Samaria
[source]
 |
|
1940-1944 |
Found a favourable climate for his work in New
York and received a great deal of support from his
friends and admirers, Harry Holtzmann, Fritz Glarner and James
Johnson Sweeney. |
|
| |
A photograph by Arnold Newman of Mondrian in his
studio, 353 East 56th Street, New York, 1942.
from Blotkamp
[7 p8] |
Mondrian 1942
[7 p8] |
|
1942 |
One man show at the Dudensing Gallery in New
York. (This is the first and only one-man show during his life.), Seuphor
[5 p435]
The picture, Mondriaan in his New York Studio,
1943, aged seventy-one was taken by Fritz Glarner. It appears in the
catalogue for the 1955 exhibition at the
Whitechapel Art Gallery, London. |
Mondrian 1943 |
| |
Mondrian's last studio, 15 East 59th Street, New
York, 1944.
from Blotkamp
[7 p160]
|
Mondrian's Studio, 1944
[7 p160] |
| |
Mondrian's last domicile, East 61st Street, New York.
from
Seuphor [5 p37] |
East 61st Street, New York
[5 p37] |
| 1944 |
This is the picture Mondrian
was working on when he died, Victory Boogie Woogie. The photograph was taken
in his studio after his death. |
[11
p124] |
| |
Died on February 1st
1944 in the Murray Hill Hospital
from pneumonia.
Mondrian's grave at Cypress Hill Cemetery.
from
Seuphor [5 p40] and the closeup
from the Logboek. |
Mondrian's Grave
[5 p40]
[11
p128] |
| |
After his death commemorative exhibitions of his
work were held in New York (1945),
Amsterdam (1946), and
Basle (1947);
The Hague (1955) and
Zurich (1955).
In 1945 his articles in English were published in New York under the title
Plastic
Art and Pure Plastic Art.
|
|
