De Stijl Movement: Origins, Aesthetics, and Modern Influence

Introduction to De Stijl

In the aftermath of World War I and World War II, artists pondered their role in the world. "Largely in response to the horrors of World War I and the wish to remake society in its aftermath," artists, architects, and designers began to view art "as a means of social and spiritual redemption" ("De Stijl," n.d.). The result was a utopian and yet ironically pragmatic and functionalistic movement known by its Dutch name De Stijl, meaning "The Style." De Stijl was also the name of the printed journal chronicling the ideas and aesthetics of the movement. Architect Theo van Doesburg is credited with founding De Stijl, but Gerrit Rietveld and Piet Mondrian were also key figures in the movement.

Core Characteristics and Philosophy

De Stijl is characterized by the "machine aesthetics of the new industrial age," abstraction, simplicity, and the absence of surface decoration ("Art, Design, and Visual Thinking: De Stijl," n.d.). Taking its cue from Cubism and abstract visual arts, De Stijl artists and designers sought to reduce recognizable forms in order to create a kind of "universal language" of art and design ("De Stijl," n.d.). Art and design were practically fused in De Stijl, which is why architecture and furniture, as well as painting and sculpture, and even literature and music, were all extensions of the central notion of utopian communication through visual forms. In De Stijl work, the only colors used are black, white, and the primary colors.

"The initial source of their ideas came from Dada notions about dispensing with the pretentious elitist design aesthetics of the pre-war era" ("Art, Design, and Visual Thinking: De Stijl," n.d.). The philosophy of De Stijl is not only utopian but also universalist. In part, De Stijl was a reaction against the perceived excesses of contemporary movements such as Art Deco.

Notable Works and Contemporary Influence

Elements of De Stijl are still evident in architecture and design around the world. The most notable examples from the original movement include the works of Piet Mondrian, whose dramatic linear compositions exemplified the core aesthetic ideals of De Stijl: primary colors only, black and white, simple forms and lines, and an industrial, universal feel. Another representative example is the Red Blue Chair by Gerrit Rietveld. This chair resembles a Mondrian painting in its linear aspects and its use of color, and as a piece of furniture it blends form and function in distinctly modern ways.

In contemporary art and design, the influence of De Stijl can be seen in the Mondrian hotels in New York, Florida, and Texas — buildings deliberately named after the De Stijl artist for that very reason. Another modern example of De Stijl influence appears in a line of Nike trainers designed with Mondrian's signature primary colors and linear segmentation. The L'Oréal product line similarly draws from Mondrian and De Stijl aesthetics.

The key difference between these modern examples and their historical predecessors is that the contemporary instances are divorced from the utopian ideals that underwrote the original movement. Products such as Nike, L'Oréal, and the Mondrian hotels exist for commercial and capitalistic purposes alone. The original works by De Stijl artists and designers were making a political and social statement. Different styles and layouts communicate with their intended audiences by fusing form and function in meaningful ways.