Timeline Description: Piet Mondrian was a Dutch painter who coined the term Neoplasticism. This was a type of painting that took root across the Netherlands around 1917. The paintings consisted of white background, grid lines, and primary colors.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 7, 1872 | Piet Mondrian was born. On March 7, 1872 Piet Mondrian was born in Amersfoort in the Netherlands. His birth name was Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan. His nickname became "Piet" likely because his father had the same first name. |
| 1892 | Mondrian enters art school. In 1892, at the age of 20, Mondrian entered the Academy of Fine Art in Amsterdam. Mondrian was qualified as a teacher and began his career teaching in a primary school, exactly as his father had. Most early work was of natural landscapes from Mondrian's home and surrounding areas. |
| 1908 | Mondrian becomes interested in theosophical movement. In 1908, Mondrian was introduced to the theosophical movement. He joined the Theosophical Society in 1909. From this influence, his work began to become more abstract. This influence continued for the rest of his career. |
| 1911 | Mondrian moved to Paris. Mondrian moved to Paris in 1911. Once in Paris, Mondrian dropped the second "a" from his last name, thereby completing his name change to Piet Mondrian, as his is now known. The work of Picasso and Braque, and the Cubist movement influenced Mondrian once he arrived in Paris. |
| 1914 | Mondrian remains in the Netherlands during World War I (1914-1919). From 1914 to 1919, Mondrian stayed in the Netherlands throughout the duration of World War I. war. While there, Mondrian was influenced by van der Leck's use of only primary colors. |
| 1916 | Mondrian establishes the De Stijl. In 1916, while in the Netherlands, Mondrian established the art journal, De Stijl. His first publication was discussed his new theory that he termed Neoplasticism. |
| 1919 | Mondrian returned to Paris. In 1919, Mondrian returned to Paris where he was inspired and grew as an artist. During this time, the well-known style of dark lines that looked like grids with spots of color began to emerge. |
| 1920 | Mondrian fine tunes his style (During the 1920's). During the 1920's, Mondrian introduced his grid-style paintings. Over time, the grid lines changed, some becoming more thick and distinct, while the lines over time extended to the edge of the canvas. Two well-known paintings from this time are Lozenge with two Lines and Blue, both produced in 1926. |
| 1938 | Mondrian moved to London (1938 to 1940). In 1938, Mondrian moved to London after he was dissatisfied with the growing fascist movement in Paris. He stayed there until 1940, when he moved to New York. |
| February 1, 1944 | Piet Mondrian died. On February 1, 1944, Mondrian died in New York. He died of pneumonia and is buried in the Cypress Hills Cemetery in New York. |