Lozenge Composition

In 1921 Mondrian set a square canvas on a corner while keeping its internal lines horizontal and vertical. The rectangular grid meets sloping edges. Yellow, blue, red and neutral areas occupy unequal amounts of space.

A large yellow area occupies the upper left. Black lines bound it on two sides; the canvas edge defines another. The internal grid and outer shape determine the coloured area together.

The blue area on the right reaches a sloping edge beneath a level black line. This small passage brings together the two directional systems underlying the whole composition.

The red triangle below is much smaller than the yellow field, yet its strong colour makes it conspicuous. Mondrian compares unequal areas instead of dividing the canvas into matching coloured parts.

The black rectangle beside the crossing is wider than the lines themselves. Here black occupies an area of its own; elsewhere it marks boundaries between pale and coloured fields.

The black vertical on the right stops within a pale field. It does not reach the canvas’s upper boundary. Such endings matter in a grid where not every band crosses the entire surface.

The lower light field is much larger than the red area beside it. Mondrian works with the relationship between their sizes. The small saturated rectangle remains conspicuous beside a far larger white field.

Mondrian called his approach Neo-Plasticism. Straight lines, primary colours and neutral tones form its restricted vocabulary. The width of each band, the size of each coloured area and its position in relation to the others become decisive.