Mondrian and the “Boogie Woogies”: Interruption of Inner Developmental Logic or Completion in Old Age?

Abstract

Taking the work of the painter Piet Mondrian as a point of departure, artistic continuity and change are examined from a lifespan developmental perspective. It is argued that decontextualized continuity tends to occur within a given lifestage, whereas contextualized change is apt to emerge during a transition from one lifestage to another. Thus, Mondrian's gradual development of a unique style, predicated on logical, stage-like unfolding, is related to a midlife emphasis on formal structure. From a similar perspective, his dramatic shift away from this inner logic of development in his last work, the Boogie Woogies, is attributed to an ultimate effort in old age to synthesize art and reality, to reconcile a conflict between the laws of art and direct expression of sense experience.