Irises

1894 – December 1910 · Membership

Arti et Amicitiae

1909

Joins the Dutch Theosophical Society

Mondrian became interested in Helena Blavatsky's theosophical movement in 1908 and in 1909 joined the Dutch branch of the Theosophical Society; his spiritual and philosophical studies were intimately bound up with his art.

1911

The Cubist exhibition in Amsterdam

The Moderne Kunstkring exhibition of Cubism in Amsterdam deeply influenced Mondrian; his search for simplification shows in two versions of “Still Life with Ginger Pot”: a Cubist one of 1911 and one of 1912 in which the objects are reduced to a round shape with triangles and rectangles.

1911–1912

Changing his name from Mondriaan to Mondrian

Mondrian dropped one “a” from the Dutch spelling of his surname to emphasise his departure from the Netherlands and his integration into the Parisian avant-garde.

1912–1914

Move to Paris

In 1912 Mondrian moved to Paris, where the Cubism of Picasso and Braque showed in his work almost at once: “The Sea” (1912) and his studies of trees from that year still keep a measure of representation but are increasingly dominated by geometric shapes and interlocking planes.

1912–1917

The Cubist period

Mondrian was eager to absorb the influence of Cubism but saw it as a port of call on his artistic journey rather than a destination; his Cubist period lasted from 1912 to 1917.