The artwork “Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow” was created by the artist Piet Mondrian in 1930. Characterized as an abstract work, it is an oil on canvas piece measuring 86 cm by 66 cm. The piece is a key example of Neoplasticism, an art movement founded by Mondrian which emphasizes the expression of beauty through the abstraction of form and color. As of the time this response was generated, the artwork is held in a private collection.
The artwork depicts a grid composed of vertical and horizontal black lines that separate the canvas into distinct rectangular areas of varying sizes. The majority of the rectangles are painted in white, while three rectangles stand out due to being painted in the primary colors: a large red rectangle dominates the composition, alongside a smaller blue square and an even smaller yellow square. The use of asymmetrical balance and the restriction to primary colors and non-colors (black, white, and shades of gray) are hallmarks of Mondrian’s Neoplasticism. The precise arrangement of the compositional elements reflects an austere sense of geometric order and harmony. The simplicity of the shapes and colors induces a sense of universal aesthetics, as Mondrian sought to transcend the complexity of natural forms in favor of a visual language that speaks to the most basic components of artistic expression.
