Founders

Although 'De Stijl' was made up of many members, Theo Van Doesburg was the 'ambassador' of the movement, promoting it across Europe. In 1915 Doesburg saw some of Mondrian’s work while reviewing a show for a magazine he worked for, and thought of his paintings as ‘ideal’. Mondrian had evolved a non-representational form, which he called Neo-Plasticism. This was made up of a white background, on which was painted a grid of vertical and horizontal black lines and the three primary colors. This “complete abstraction of reality” lead Van Doesburg to search out Piet Mondrian, and together they, along with some other related artists, promoted the De Stijl movement.