The artwork “Composition No. III, with Red, Blue, Yellow, and Black” created by Piet Mondrian between 1929 and 1935 is an exemplary piece of the Neoplasticism art movement, and it is crafted using oil on canvas. It measures 101 by 51 centimeters. As of the latest available information, this abstract artwork was part of the collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
In this piece, Mondrian conveys his artistic philosophy through a precise and balanced composition of geometric forms and primary colors. The artwork is dominated by a white background, intersected by black horizontal and vertical lines that structure the canvas into distinct segments. Color is used sparingly but with impactful intentionality, with blocks of yellow, red, and blue strategically placed to achieve visual harmony and dynamic equilibrium. The use of primary colors and the reduction of forms to their most basic shapes reflect Mondrian’s aspirations toward a universal aesthetic language, one that transcends the particularities of natural forms and individual perspectives. The asymmetric balance and the juxtaposition of colors and non-colors create a visual rhythm that is quintessential to Mondrian’s abstract compositions and to the ideals of the De Stijl movement with which he was closely associated.
