Counter-Composition VIII

<p>In 1917 Theo van Doesburg founded an art periodical in Leiden called <em>De Stijl</em> (<em>The Style</em>). This name also referred to the artists’ group—including Van Doesburg, <a href="http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/artist/Mondrian%2C+Piet">Piet Mondrian</a>, and <a href="https://www.artic.edu/artists/33007">Georges Vantongerloo</a>—associated with the publication. These artists saw abstraction as an almost spiritual vehicle to reconstruct art and society following World War I. Their approach, as exemplified by <em>Counter-Composition VIII</em>, was marked by fundamentals: geometry (squares, rectangles, and straight lines) combined with asymmetry; pure primary colors used along with black and white; and positive and negative elements. In addition to painting, De Stijl had a great impact on architecture and design, and it deeply influenced Germany’s famed Bauhaus.</p>