piet mondrian 1911 gray tree print
Gray Tree is an oil painting by Piet Mondrian. This painting was made in 1911 on canvas on a board measuring 78.5 × 107.5 cm. It is exhibited at Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague. [1]
The work came at a time when Mondrian was beginning to experiment with Cubism: its foreground and background elements seem to intermingle, and the palette is very restricted. The tree is subtly oval in form, following another Cubist practice seen in works by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Mondrian’s oval became explicit, framing the work, in paintings that followed over the next three or four years. Apple Tree in Flower, also from 1912, is a similarly sized composition. Though the outline of the “apple tree” recalls that of Gray Tree, the work is significantly more faceted and abstract.
The Gray Tree is one of the first paintings in which Mondrian applied to a natural subject the principles of cubist composition that he was in the process of assimilating and working out in his own way. At the same time, it is a continuation of the series on the Tree theme, which began with the studies for the Red Tree of 1908. Although four years elapsed between the Red Tree and the The Gray Tree, it would be a mistake not to see them as two links in a single chain of development.
In 1912, or perhaps as early as the winter of 1911/12, Mondrian came back to the theme of trees in a large drawing in black chalk, in which his unmistakable aim was to bring the three-dimensional volume of the bare tree, with its twisted branches, onto the surface of the picture, into the second dimension. His project was to transform the thing that he saw in front of him into a rhythmic sign on his sheet of paper. This drawing became the starting point for at least three paintings: the The Gray Tree reproduced here; a closely related canvas, somewhat more oblong in shape and thus a little closer to the drawing; and the Flowering Apple Tree.
Mondrian also experimented with other art forms before settling on his own neo-plastic form, including post-impressionism, pointillism, and cubism, the latter of which this is an example. This piece contains interlocking blocks, which form together in the shape of a tree. But unlike cubist artists from whom he took his cue, such as Picasso and Georges Braque, Mondrian had yet to merge his artistic style with his spiritual pursuits, and as such this was only one of a few of such cubist experiments. Mondrian still had a few years to go before he would begin to fins his real voice as an artist, although one could argue that his style was ever-changing, culminating in his masterpieces in his later years of life.
The work came at a time when Mondrian was beginning to experiment with Cubism: its foreground and background elements seem to intermingle, and the palette is very restricted. The tree is subtly oval in form, following another Cubist practice seen in works by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Mondrian’s oval became explicit, framing the work, in paintings that followed over the next three or four years. Apple Tree in Flower, also from 1912, is a similarly sized composition. Though the outline of the “apple tree” recalls that of Gray Tree, the work is significantly more faceted and abstract.
Polystyrene
FRAME-1328
6.4 cm width
Wooden
LINER-396
2.5 cm width
Set the tone of your room from the walls out—”from the ground up” is so dated. Mix and match your favorite art prints on a gallery wall showcasing everything that makes your style unique. Art prints available in five sizes, from x-small to x-large. *Exact sizing may vary slightly due to printing process, we advise waiting to buy frames until the prints arrive.
PRO TIP: Keep a collection of extra prints on hand to refresh your space for any season or occasion.
References:
http://www.piet-mondrian.org/the-gray-tree.jsp
http://www.wikiart.org/en/piet-mondrian/the-gray-tree-1911
http://www.topofart.com/artists/Mondrian/art-reproduction/16537/The-Gray-Tree.php
http://society6.com/product/gray-tree-by-piet-mondrian-1911_print
http://www.piet-mondrian.org/