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If you've read any of my blog posts about abstract expressionism, you'll know that I love the pure expressiveness of it. In other words, the randomness, the thoughtlessness, the emotional, and the imperfectness of it. Yet, the precision in some geometric abstract art captivates and even soothes me. And the style has an important place in the history of the (broadly defined) genre of modern abstract art.
Dutch artist Piet Mondrian is perhaps the most famous artist in this genre. In the early 20th century, his iconic grid-based works revolutionized modern art. His piece, 'Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow,' is a perfect example of the simplicity and balance that define geometric abstraction. Mondrian's painting is said to reflect his utopian search for universal aesthetic truths by depicting underlying order within the chaos of the rapidly modernizing world in which he lived.
'Tableau I' by Piet Mondrian, 1930.
In 1915, Russian artist Kazimir Malevich coined the term 'Suprematism' to describe his style of geometric abstract art. He explained that this style represented the supremacy of pure feeling or perception in the pictorial arts." His famous painting, 'Black Square' (below), and other suprematist works emphasize pure geometric forms to express a sense of spirituality and the infinite.
'Black Square' by Kazimir Malevich, 1915.
I think what appeals to me most about geometric abstract art is its clarity and structure. By stripping art down to its essential shapes and colors I'm able to find beauty and order in simplicity. Geometric abstract art leaves me with a calming appreciation for how basic elements can come together to create complex and meaningful compositions.