Description
Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow is a 1930 painting by Piet Mondrian: a large red square fills the upper right, thick black lines divide the rest of the canvas into white fields, and a small blue square sits at lower left with a small yellow rectangle at lower right. The original, oil on canvas, measures 46 x 46 cm and belongs to the Kunsthaus Zürich. Our painter paints it by hand in oil on canvas in 8 square or nearly square sizes, from 35 x 35 to 196 x 188 cm, or to your own measurement, and we send you a photograph of the finished painting before dispatch.
| Title: | Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow |
| Other titles: | Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow · Komposition II mit Rot, Blau und Gelb |
| Painter: | Piet Mondrian (1872–1944) |
| Year painted: | 1930 |
| Original size: | 46 cm x 46 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | Neoplasticism (De Stijl), abstract painting |
| Located at: | Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow – Piet Mondrian
What does Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow show?
No landscape and no face, only colours and lines, yet every element has its exact place. A large red square opens up in the upper right, by far the biggest area in the composition. Thick black lines run beside and below it, horizontal and vertical, cutting the rest of the surface into white fields of different sizes.
At lower left sits a small blue square, at lower right a narrow yellow rectangle. On the blue field, in the lower left corner, you can read the monogram ‘PM 30’, Mondrian’s signature with the year. Neither half mirrors the other: the composition is asymmetrical on purpose.
The canvas is square, 46 cm high and 46 cm wide. Because the areas are so sharply bounded, the eye catches any difference in the thickness of a line or the tone of the white at once, so every millimetre counts here.
What was Mondrian saying with these colours?
Mondrian did not paint objects; he painted relationships. He kept to the three primary colours, red, blue and yellow, added black and white, and placed them so that they hold one another in balance.
The art historian Stephanie Chadwick, cited by Wikipedia, reads the painting as a harmony of contrasts: balance and at the same time the tension of dynamic forces, asymmetry and pure planes of colour. The big red pushes up and to the right, while the small blue and the small yellow below act as its counterweight.
That is why the work does not look calm like a wallpaper pattern but taut, as if the planes could shift at any moment. The Wikipedia article explains the background.
Why is this painting so recognisable?
When people think of Mondrian, they usually picture exactly this: black lines on white and a few fields of red, blue and yellow. Composition II of 1930 is the best-known type of his compositions and a clear example of the style called Neoplasticism, or De Stijl.
Mondrian reached this language step by step. Between 1908 and 1910 he was still painting trees in glowing colours, in 1911 a grey tree with black branches, and then he simplified the branches little by little into horizontal and vertical lines. His later works, painted in New York, replaced the black line with coloured ones.
The 1930 composition stands halfway along that road: the trees have vanished completely, but the black lines are still there and carry the whole structure.
Where is the original?
The original belongs to the Kunsthaus Zürich, the art museum in Zurich, Switzerland. It is a small canvas, 46 x 46 cm, less than half a metre each way.
In photographs in books it looks bigger than it really is, because its structure is so clear and strong.
The signature ‘PM 30’ on the blue field at lower left gives away the year it was made.
Composition II or another Mondrian?
This suits people who like order, clear colour and modern rooms. It looks its best on a white wall in a minimalist or Scandinavian-style home, in an office or a waiting room, where a few colours bring a quiet space to life.
If you prefer dancing coloured squares with no black, look at Broadway Boogie Woogie, inspired by New York. Just as lively is New York City, with its weave of yellow, red and blue lines. A black grid with a yellow band along the top belongs to Place de la Concorde, begun in Paris and finished in New York.
For a calmer bedroom or living room, the early Gray Tree, painted in nothing but greys, is a good fit. The Piet Mondrian page gathers the other famous Mondrian paintings we paint to order.
How does our painter paint your Composition II?
Mondrian’s grid looks simple, but its effect depends on exact proportions, straight crisp edges and flat, even colour. So the painter first transfers the proportions from the original to the canvas: where each black line runs, how wide it is and how large the fields between the lines are.
He masks the edges of every area with tape so they stay sharp, then applies the colour in several thin, even coats, oil on canvas, layer by layer. The red stays smooth and full, and the white fields stay free of streaks and patches.
A Mondrian reproduction painted like this has an edge no print can reach: the paint lies on the canvas in real layers, and light catches it differently. An oil painting reproduction also keeps the fine weave of the canvas, which gives the flat areas life.
Which size for which wall?
In short: 35 x 35 or 45 x 45 cm for a shelf or a narrow wall, 60 x 57 or 70 x 70 cm above a chest of drawers or a desk, 90 x 88 or 110 x 115 cm above a sofa or a bed, and 150 x 144 or 196 x 188 cm for a large empty wall.
There are 8 sizes (width x height): 35 x 35, 45 x 45, 60 x 57, 70 x 70, 90 x 88, 110 x 115, 150 x 144 and 196 x 188 cm. The 45 x 45 cm size is 1 cm smaller than the original each way.
The larger sizes turn a small painting into the centrepiece of a wall. As a painting for the living room above a sofa, 90 x 88 and 110 x 115 cm work best; hang the square canvas centred above the sofa or bed, with its lower edge 20 to 30 cm above the backrest.
Can I choose another size or a frame?
Yes. The original is a square, so we can carry it over to any square size not on the list and keep the proportions between the fields. Tell us the size you need and we will reply with a price and a delivery date.
We send the painting rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or ready framed. Our workshop in Slovenia does the stretching and framing, as it does for every canvas painting we make.
Frames for your Composition II are compared in our 3D application, which is there for choosing the frame alone; seeing the painting on your own wall is a separate service. Mondrian’s grid suits a narrow white or black frame that continues the black lines and does not compete with the colours.
When will the painting arrive?
We start painting your Composition II when your order comes in, and within 15 to 45 working days it is ready to ship. Before it leaves, you get a photograph of your finished grid; if a line or a colour should be different, we correct it.
Your Mondrian crosses no customs border inside Slovenia or anywhere else in the EU, and our returns policy covers every order.
Composition II makes a fine gift for an architect, a designer or someone moving into a new home. If the person you have in mind should pick the size of their Mondrian, give them a wall art voucher.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original Composition II?
In the Kunsthaus Zürich in Zurich, Switzerland.
How big is the original?
It is 46 cm high and 46 cm wide. Our 45 x 45 cm size is 1 cm smaller each way.
Is it a print?
No. Your Composition II is a hand-painted copy in oil on canvas, applied with a brush in several thin coats.
Which colours are in it?
Red, blue and yellow, black lines and white fields; nothing else.
What does the asymmetry mean?
The large red area and the small blue and yellow ones balance each other without mirroring; that tension keeps the painting alive.
Does it suit an office?
Very well. Clear colours and straight lines sit easily with modern furniture, white walls and a working space.
Can I order it in my own size?
Yes. As the original is square, we can paint it in any square size; we send you a price and a date.
How long does it take to make?
Between 15 and 45 working days; before dispatch you get a photograph of the finished painting.
- Subject: a large red square at upper right, black lines and white fields, a small blue square and a yellow rectangle below.
- Original: 1930, oil on canvas, 46 x 46 cm, Kunsthaus Zürich.
- Ours: painted by hand in oil on canvas, in 8 square or nearly square sizes from 35 x 35 to 196 x 188 cm or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: Mondrian signed it with the monogram ‘PM 30’ on the blue field at lower left.
