Counter-Composition VIII

In 1917 Theo van Doesburg founded an art periodical in Leiden called De Stijl (The Style). This name also referred to the artists’ group—including Van Doesburg, Piet Mondrian, and Georges Vantongerloo—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 Counter-Composition VIII, 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.