De Stijl

c. 1917–1931

De Stijl sought universal harmony through abstraction. Artists reduced form and color to straight lines and primary colors. The movement aimed for clarity and order. Its principles strongly influenced modern architecture and design.

Counter-Composition of Dissonances, XVI

Theo Van Doesburg

1925

Dynamic diagonals break De Stijl’s horizontals, arguing for movement within strict abstraction.

Tableau 1, with Red, Black, Blue and Yellow

Piet Mondrian

1921

Balanced rectangles of primary colors and black lines embody pure harmony.

Interrelation of Volumes

Georges Vantongerloo

1919

Precise geometric forms explore mathematical relationships in space.

Composition

Bart Van Der Leck

1918

Flat primary shapes arranged with clarity, reducing image to pure color and line.