Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow AP art history

Composition with Red Blue and Yellow is a post-WWI piece completed in 1930 by Piet Mondrian. At first glance, the painting may seem unimpressive to the average viewer. It seems boring and simple. But, after you understand some background information and dive into some analysis, you may become impressed. If nothing else, you may gain some understanding and appreciation for this painting.

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What is the background of Composition with Red Blue and Yellow?

After WWI, art one got a little weird. Many people were trying to process what had just happened. How could humanity have done such a tragic thing to themselves? 

A lot of the artists were processing this trauma in some really interesting ways. Various modern art movements challenged the status quo, as they tried to grapple with their questions. One of the main questions circulating within art was, “What even is art?” Some of the art movements during this time period that you may be familiar with are Surrealism, Dada, and Cubism. These movements pushed the boundaries of what art was thought to be.

De Stijl art movement and Composition with Red Blue and Yellow

One of the movements around this time of pushing the status quo within art was the De Stijl Art Movement. Piet Mondrian was one of the leaders of this movement, and Composition with Red Blue and Yellow is perhaps one of his most well known paintings. Although many of his paintings look similar, this piece has some impressive aspects, which I dive into in my analysis. To set the stage for the analysis, let’s learn a little more about De Stijl Art.

What is De Stijl Art?

De Stijl simply means “the style” in Dutch. Now, many of the other art movements around this time were getting a little crazy with the elements of art and principles of design. In contrast, the leaders of the De Stijl art movement decided to go back to the basics of form and color. In doing so, they decided to focus on three things in their art:

1. Horizontal and vertical lines. No diagonals were allowed.
2. The primary colors of red, yellow, and blue along with black and white
3. Asymmetrical balance. They wanted to have a feeling of balance but they did it in an asymmetrical way. 

Although still radical and abstract, the visual composition of the De Stijl art movement was simplified when compared to the other movements of the time. The straight lines and primary colors are what De Stijl artists decided were the universal forms of expression. With this in mind, let’s dive into a deeper analysis to bring out the power of Piet Mondrian’s Composition with Red Blue and Yellow.

What is the meaning of Composition with Red Blue and Yellow

Let’s go ahead and apply each of the three things mentioned above to Composition with Red Blue and Yellow. 

Horizontal and vertical lines

Being true to De Stijl art, you only see vertical and diagonal lines. What’s incredible about these lines is Mondrian never used a ruler in his paintings. Look at how straight these lines are. In our digital age, it’s hard to imagine that something like this could have been created without a computer, but when you zoom in, you can see the brush strokes. You can see the artist’s hand. Also notice how the lines create a heaviness on the left. With the thickest line on the left side and the lines crossing in the bottom left, your eyes are drawn to this area. 

Now focus on the three horizontal lines in the piece. The longest one extends across the painting towards the bottom. Perhaps you can view this line as the horizon, separating the earth beneath and the sky above. (Horizon and horizontal have the same root word). The horizon often symbolizes hope. Furthermore, it grounds and connects us to the earth that we know, while begging us to think about what exists in the skies, beyond this earth. The unknown. 

Then we have two vertical lines in this piece. The vertical lines lead our eyes upwards towards the sky and the unknown. So, this ascension of the vertical is kind of juxtaposed with the earthly of the horizontal. 

Primary Colors 

First, focus on the color blue down in the left hand corner. Blue is a color of calm. A color of equilibrium and the color of the earth as it appears from space. So, you can consider blue a very earth-bound color. 

In the bottom right hand corner, the little yellow rectangle reminds me of the sun and represents joy and happiness. Yellow brings a bright energy to the painting and offsets the calm blue. And remember, when you mix yellow and blue you get green. Another earthbound color beneath the horizon. 

Finally, taking over the majority of the space is the red. The red helps create a sense of balance in this clearly asymmetrical piece. As the lines draw you toward the left and bottom corners, the red overpowers and draws you towards the opposite section of the painting. Red can represent the sunrise and sunset. Courage and passion to consider things beyond this world. 

Asymmetrical balance

Somehow this asymmetrical painting feels complete. Mondrian uses the lines and colors in a way that creates balance. In fact, Mondrian was known to hate the messiness and randomness of nature. It was something that made him really uncomfortable, so he believed that if you contemplate nature and society long enough it will become balanced. And you see that in Composition with Red Blue and Yellow. If you spend time with the painting it becomes stable and calm. The more you look at the piece, the more you get this sense of stability, calm, and balance. 

Final Thoughts

Why do we create art like this? Abstract art can sometimes help us explain and experience the emotions and feelings that we can’t put into words. For me, I love the feeling of stability that Composition with Red Blue and Yellow has, even with the seemingly unbalanced asymmetry. I crave balance and understanding, especially in the chaos of life. So, this piece brings me hope that I’ll find that feeling of stability in all the craziness.

The other thing this painting helps me understand is the idea that two opposing forces can reside in the same space and in harmony together. I love that there’s nuance in this painting. The idea that two conflicting ideas can reside together. Maybe these ideas conflict or don’t agree with each other, but in a way they balance each other out. When the horizontal and the vertical lines converge, there’s balance. When the softer blue and yellow colors contrast against the explosive red, there’s balance. For me, this is comforting.

If you have questions or want to include some of your own thoughts and analysis of Composition with Red Blue and Yellow, please reach out to me or comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Also, if you really like Piet Mondrian’s art and the ideas in this article, one of my favorite art history items in my house is my Modern Art Desserts: Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Confections, and Frozen Treats Based on Iconic Works of Art [A Baking Book]:

For more fun art history items for your home or potential gifts for art history lovers, check out these 15 Best Gifts for Art History Lovers.