GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This striking drawing was Piet Mondrian’s last self-portrait. Made after a long hiatus from depicting himself, it is likely a reworking of another self-portrait drawing made from as early as 1911. Mondrian shows himself in half-profile, head turned to the left. This pose was commonly used by the artist in his self-portraits.
Here Mondrian has distilled his likeness to an increasingly simplified formal appearance, becoming almost unrecognizable. This was in line with the artist’s development of a style he called neo-plasticism, which he described as an attempt to “ignore the particulars of appearance, that is to say, natural form and color . . . [in favor of] straight line and defined primary color.”
This work challenges viewers to question what constitutes self-portraiture when we can no longer easily recognize the artist as subject.
Excerpt from
Amy Wojciechowski, DMA label copy, 2017.
NOTES
Created 1942
Striving to express unity and order, Piet Mondrian evolved an abstract vocabulary by reducing features in nature to elemental forms, lines, and colors. Eventually he eliminated all references to the natural world, achieving an entirely nonrepresentational, nonobjective art, which he called neoplasticism. In his early career, Mondrian embraced in rapid succession impressionism and an expressionist style influenced by the works of Vincent van Gogh and other postimpressionists. After he moved to Paris in 1909, his work was dramatically influenced by the paintings of Paul Cézanne and, in particular, the cubism of Pablo Picasso, Georges Braques, and Juan Gris, whose impact is especially evident in this self-portrait.
Mondrian created a number of revealing self-portrait drawings. His earlier, more representational portraits, which tend to focus on the expression of his eyes, appear to be exercises in self-examination. increasingly, however, he experimented with simplifying and distilling his visage. Repeatedly reworking his image in the half-profile pose, Mondrian seemed to heighten the degree of abstraction with each portrait. For this composition, Mondrian adopted the cubists' fragmentation of form for the treatment of the head and shoulders, reducing his profile to a network of lines and angles, which intersect and overlap in the head and upper body to create planes suggesting volume. yet through the sharp interplay of lines, the artist's physical characteristics and personality appear. The tightly closed lips and square jawbone mirror Mondrian's pronounced facial features, while the raised eyebrow and glance toward the viewer project his confident disposition.
Excerpt from
Shirley Reece-Hughes, "Self Portrait", in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Suzanne Kotz (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 1997), 131.
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Artist/designers
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Place of origin: New York (New York/United States): TGN: 7007567
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Pen, ink, charcoal, and gouache on paper
Historical periods
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WEB RESOURCES
- Tate, London~Tate Kids provides an excellent way to introduce the work of Piet Mondrian to children.
- Guggenheim, New York~Learn more about the artist and his work from the Guggenheim.
- SFMOMA~ Watch this video about Mondrian and abstraction from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
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General Description
This striking drawing was Piet Mondrian’s last self-portrait. Made after a long hiatus from depicting himself, it is likely a reworking of another self-portrait drawing made from as early as 1911. Mondrian shows himself in half-profile, head turned to the left. This pose was commonly used by the artist in his self-portraits.
Here Mondrian has distilled his likeness to an increasingly simplified formal appearance, becoming almost unrecognizable. This was in line with the artist’s development of a style he called neo-plasticism, which he described as an attempt to “ignore the particulars of appearance, that is to say, natural form and color . . . [in favor of] straight line and defined primary color.”
This work challenges viewers to question what constitutes self-portraiture when we can no longer easily recognize the artist as subject.
Excerpt from
Amy Wojciechowski, DMA label copy, 2017.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Tate, London~Tate Kids provides an excellent way to introduce the work of Piet Mondrian to children.
- Guggenheim, New York~Learn more about the artist and his work from the Guggenheim.
- SFMOMA~ Watch this video about Mondrian and abstraction from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Notes
Created 1942
Striving to express unity and order, Piet Mondrian evolved an abstract vocabulary by reducing features in nature to elemental forms, lines, and colors. Eventually he eliminated all references to the natural world, achieving an entirely nonrepresentational, nonobjective art, which he called neoplasticism. In his early career, Mondrian embraced in rapid succession impressionism and an expressionist style influenced by the works of Vincent van Gogh and other postimpressionists. After he moved to Paris in 1909, his work was dramatically influenced by the paintings of Paul Cézanne and, in particular, the cubism of Pablo Picasso, Georges Braques, and Juan Gris, whose impact is especially evident in this self-portrait.
Mondrian created a number of revealing self-portrait drawings. His earlier, more representational portraits, which tend to focus on the expression of his eyes, appear to be exercises in self-examination. increasingly, however, he experimented with simplifying and distilling his visage. Repeatedly reworking his image in the half-profile pose, Mondrian seemed to heighten the degree of abstraction with each portrait. For this composition, Mondrian adopted the cubists' fragmentation of form for the treatment of the head and shoulders, reducing his profile to a network of lines and angles, which intersect and overlap in the head and upper body to create planes suggesting volume. yet through the sharp interplay of lines, the artist's physical characteristics and personality appear. The tightly closed lips and square jawbone mirror Mondrian's pronounced facial features, while the raised eyebrow and glance toward the viewer project his confident disposition.
Excerpt from
Shirley Reece-Hughes, "Self Portrait", in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Suzanne Kotz (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 1997), 131.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: New York (New York/United States): TGN: 7007567
Process/materials
Pen, ink, charcoal, and gouache on paper
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
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