Piet Mondrian: The factors influencing his move from Amsterdam to Paris

The paintings Piet Mondrian executed upon his return to Amsterdam from Brabant in 1905 differed from contemporary Netherlands art in that it had "a pronounced rythmic framework and a compositional structure rather than toward the traditional picturesque values of light and shade," but between 1905 and 1911, he would be subjected to a number of experiences that would further influence his painterly direction and eventually lead to his relocation to Paris to pursue what he saw as the future of art.

The first of these experiences was a 1905 Vincent van Gogh exhibition organized by Jo, the sister-in-law of the deceased artist. Jo had been married to Theo for only two years when he died "leaving Jo with a baby and an apartment filled with Vincent's artwork." Theo's goal had been to elevate the visibility of his brother's artwork; with his passing, Jo took on that task. One of her most ambitious efforts was the largest ever retrospective of Vincent's work held at Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum in 1905. The exhibition, which featured 480 pieces of van Gogh's work, made an enormous impression on Mondrian.

The second experience was the Quadrennial Exhibition held in Amsterdam in 1907 and featuring the Post-Impressionist works of Kees van Dongen, Otto van Rees, and Jan Sluijters. "The forceful expression and use of color inherent in Post-Impressionism are apparent in such works of the period as Red Cloud and Woods near Oele ..."

Red Cloud, 1907
Piet Mondrian

Woods near Oele, 1908
Piet Mondrian

Mondrian adopted several traits of Post-Impressionism and Pointilism as shown in two of his works from the period: Windmill in Sunlight and The Red Tree. For example, he reduced his palette to the basic hues, with Windmill in Sunlight created mainly in yellow, red, and blue.

Mill in Sunlight: The Winkel Mill, 1908
Piet Mondrian

The Red Tree, 1908 - 1910
Piet Mondrian

In 1909 Piet organized an exhibition with Cornelis Spoor and Jan Sleijters at Stedelijk Museum where this type of work was shown. The exhibition featured 250 of Mondrian's works and juxtaposed his early efforts with the later, more modern ones. This show "firmly established the artist as part of the Dutch avant-garde" (prabook.com).

In 1910, his modern works received good reviews at the St Lucas Exhibition in Amsterdam and in 1911 one of his more abstract works was accepted by the Salon des Indépendants.

In 1910 Mondrian co-founded a progressive artists club called Moderne Kunstkring with Jan Sluijters and Conrad Kickert. One of the intentions of the club was the curation of an exhibition of Dutch and foreign artists in Amsterdam. In preparation for the first such exhibition, Mondrian traveled to Paris in 1911 to see the latest artistic trends. 

The group's first exhibition was held at the Stedelijk Museum in 1911 and was the first ever museum presentation of Cubism. It featured artists such as Georges Braque, Raoul Dufy, Le Fauconnais, Pablo Picasso, and Maurice de Vlaminck. Mondrian was deeply impressed with the Cubist works and decided to move to Paris, the home of Cubism.

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