De Stijl

De Stijl

De Stijl (Dutch for style) was a Dutch movement founded in 1917 by architect, painter, writer and poet Theo van Doesburg. Other principle members were influenced by Dadaism and cubism and included Piet Mondrian and Vilmos Huszar.

Piet Mondrian, Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red

 De Stijl supported abstraction in paintings and design by simplifying to geometric forms (straight, horizontal and vertical lines), primary colours (red, blue, yellow) and primary values (black, white, grey).

In fact, surface decoration became eliminated, but not in colour form. This was in order to ‘find its expression in the abstraction of form and colour’.

De Stijls greatest influence on architecture is evident the Rietveld Schroder House, which was created using only principles of De Stijl. From the outside, the house is covered in black door frames and primary colours can be seen contrasting against walls of white and grey.

De Stijl still has its influence on the modern. Designer Sarah Schofield produced swimwear based on the visual principles of the style: Primary colours, colour blocking and black and white.

I was excited to find out that American rock duo, The White Stripes 2^nd album De Stijl used the style as one of their aesthetic influences.

De Stijl went on to later influence the Bauhaus style and also the International Style (of architecture).

Black Neon: October 2011. 2013. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://blackneonlondon.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html

De Stijl. 2013. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://char.txa.cornell.edu/art/decart/destijl/decstijl.htm

De Stijl. Design is History. 2013. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.designishistory.com/1920/de-stijl/