insideKENT Magazine Issue 27 - June 2014 | Page 113

"I wish to approach
truth as closely as
is possible, and
therefore I abstract
everything until I
arrive at the
fundamental quality
of objects,"
explained Piet
Mondrian.

During this period, he stayed
on an artist's colony, where
he met artists Bart van der
Leck and Theo van
Doesburg, who were both
moving towards abstraction.

In the landscapes
he created shortly
after 1900,
Mondrian painted
the rays of the sun
and the glow of the
Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), Composition with Grid 8: Checker board
Composition with Dark Colours, 1919
moon in order to
Oil on canvas, 84 cm x 102 cm
Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Netherlands © 2014
make a new
Mondrian/Holtzman Trust c/o HCR International USA
statement about
colour. He was no
longer interested in capturing fleeting external reality in the impressionist
sense; instead, his goal was to express spirituality in painting and return it
to its essential nature. In 1921, Mondrian decided to paint only in primary
colours, in addition to white and black.
Mondrian was passionate about American jazz, particularly boogie-woogie,
finding its beat, irreverent approach to melody, and improvisational approach
akin to what he called, in his own work, the "destruction of natural appearance;
and construction through continuous opposition of pure means – dynamic
rhythm."
Mondrian's art was intimately related to his spiritual and philosophical
studies. The Gein, a small river in northern Netherlands, was Mondrian’s
favourite subject between 1902 and 1908. Here his interest in the ideas of
Theosophy began to emerge. Theosophists were searching for counterparts
in nature to the cosmic. Water, earth and air should be incorporated into
a harmonious whole.
In 1909, he joined the Dutch branch of the Theosophical Society.
Theosophists believed that every thought generates an aura that surrounds
each person. Both the forms themselves and the colour of the forms carry
meaning. The representation of the universal, dynamic pulse of life, also
expressed in modern jazz and the metropolis, was Mondrian’s point of
departure.

Alongside this exhibition, Turner Contemporary will also
show a group of works by contemporary artist, Spencer
Finch, (born 1962, New Haven, CT). From the light in
Margate, to the colours in The Wizard of Oz, the exhibition
of new and recent work by Finch combines the scientific
with the sensory, attempting to make the fleeting nature
of natural phenomena. It includes a large-scale suspended
sculpture that subtly alters as the natural light in the space
changes throughout the day. Finch has selected works by
JMW Turner, which are also on show alongside this
exhibition.
To see Turner Contemporary's full summer events
programme, visit www.turnercontemporary.org.

As the German pressure on Great Britain grew, Mondrian left for New York
in 1940. There, modern city life had a huge impact on him, inspiring him
to make works including Broadway Boogie-Woogie (1942-1943), a series
of paths across the canvas suggesting the city's grid, moving traffic, bright
electric lights, and the rhythms of jazz.
The exhibition at Turner Contemporary offers a unique opportunity to view
a large body of Mondrian’s early career in a new context.
Turner Contemporary is working in partnership with Tate Liverpool, who
is presenting the concurrent exhibition, Mondrian and his Studios, which
will run from 6th June to 21st September 2014. The exhibition focuses on
this connection between painting and architecture after Mondrian’s move
to Paris in 1911, with a reconstruction of his studio at 26 Rue du Depart,
Paris, being a major highlight of the display.

While Mondrian was visiting home from Paris in 1914, World War I began,
forcing him to remain in the Netherlands for the duration of the conflict.

Spencer Finch:
The Skies can’t keep
their secret

With Van Doesburg,
Mondrian founded De Stijl
(The Style), a journal of the
De Stijl Group, in which he
published his first essays
defining his theory. De Stijl
rejected the ideas of the
nineteenth century, instead
celebrating abstraction and
the new machine age.
Mondrian felt that he needed
to create a new art, "...as new
men will someday demand
new surroundings."
He returned to Paris after the
World War I, but later the
World War II forced him to
leave again to escape the
impending Nazi invasion. He
fled for London in 1938, his
fear of the Nazis increased
Piet Mondrian (1872-1944)
Molen (Mill); The Red Mill, 1911
by the inclusion of two of his
Oil on canvas, 150 cm x 86 cm
paintings on Hitler’s
Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Netherlands
© 2014 Mondrian/Holtzman Trust c/o HCR International USA
Degenerate Art list. He lived
in the UK for two years,
meeting artists including Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson.

Margate's Festival of Colour:
#SummerOfColour
Inspired by Mondrian and Colour, this
summer Margate is to be transformed into
a festival of colour! From 24th May to 21st
September, hoards of visitors will feel the
joy of being by the sea, while experiencing
a colourful explosion of dance, performance,
theatre, art and activity in the town, and the
surrounding area of Thanet.
Every week during the four-month period,
you can experience something colourful,
new and exciting in and around Margate.
Event highlights:
Margate beach filled up with coloured
windmills for Moving with the Wind, with

113

artist Carlos Cortes and the Build Your
Worlds Collective on the opening day,
Saturday 24th May.
There’s new art, music and performanc