Peter Cornelis Mondrian was born in 1872 in Amersfoort (Netherlands). Mondrian began as a teacher of art in elementary school. His early works were made in the manner of old Dutch masters, although the influence of Impressionism became more prominent. In 1911 Mondrian took part in an exhibition of contemporary artists, after which he started experimenting with forms, simplifying them. In the American period of creativity, the artist adapted the principles of neoplasticism to convey lines divided into small colored squares as if obeying the rhythms of jazz and boogie-woogie. Mondrian died in 1944 of pneumonia, but his works are still outstanding.
The artist painted ‘Boogie Woogie on Broadway’ in 1942. The 127 x 127 cm picture was drawn on oil canvas in New York. The significance of the painting is that it is a pleasant collision of Broadway and jazz. This combination of references in the title is a tribute to New York at the time. As for the hidden meaning, the picture is a chaotic depiction of the movement of Broadway and the jazz music movement that causes calm. It consolidates two things that are entirely different but can exist in one place.
In my opinion, the picture provides people a sense of the existence of something sincere- light, energy, and Broadway architecture. However, it remains utterly abstract with only a few colors. The parallel and perpendicular lines of the painting consist of rectangles and squares of five colors. They supply the impression that the canvas is animated. This combination has encouraged other artists to work in this style and develop it to this day.
Works Cited
Mondrian, Piet. Broadway Boogie Woogi. 1942. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. MoMA Learning. Web.