De Stijl Movement

A movement I have been interested in, has been the de stijl movement that began in 1917. The founders of the movement are noted as Theo Van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian. The De Stijl movement has been seen as being against the art deco style that was common in the 1920’s. I believe the de stijl movement was slightly inspired by the art deco movement as it was about the use of space and line. The de stijl movement began as a way to create universal language that could radiate from the art world and create harmony after the first world war. Doesburg and Mondrian hoped that it would become a way to provide redemption for the world after the horrors that had been seen. The movement had connection to the spiritual world, with god, and with evil. In my opinion I view it as an attempt for the artists to repent for the world sins and try to restore the world to a place of peace. It was a new vision for art that was simple in compositon but complex in its meaning as it was trying to bring purity into the art world that would transform those outside that culture. The use of precise geometric shapes and simple colours like primaries, tries to bring harmony into the art by not being concerned by the outside world. There was however a strong contrast between the reality of the outside world and the artists ideals.