Description
Gray Tree is a 1911 painting by Piet Mondrian: a tree in nothing but greys, black and white, whose black branches curve out from the trunk in arcs and fill the whole canvas, while ground and background melt together in short grey brushstrokes. The original, oil on canvas, is 79.7 cm high and 109.1 cm wide and belongs to the Kunstmuseum Den Haag in The Hague. Our painter paints it for you in oil on canvas, in one of 8 landscape sizes from 40 x 30 to 196 x 137 cm or to your own measurement, and you receive a photograph of the finished painting before dispatch.
| Title: | Gray Tree |
| Other titles: | De grijze boom · Der graue Baum |
| Painter: | Piet Mondrian (1872–1944) |
| Year painted: | 1911 |
| Original size: | 79.7 cm x 109.1 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | Cubism, early abstraction |
| Located at: | Kunstmuseum Den Haag, The Hague (inv. 0334314) |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
Gray Tree – Piet Mondrian
What does Gray Tree show?
A single tree stands on the canvas. From the trunk, black branches grow out to both sides in wide arcs and fill the surface almost to the edges. What remains of the tree is above all a rhythm of curves that repeat and run on into one another.
The colours are deliberately few: grey in many shades, black and white. Ground, sky and the space between the branches are built from short grey touches, so foreground and background merge into one gently flickering field.
Step back and you see that the crown and branches together form a slightly oval shape. The tree is still recognisable, yet the eye reads it less as a plant in a garden than as a web of lines and planes.
What does Gray Tree mean in Mondrian’s development?
Mondrian (1872–1944) began as a painter of landscapes and trees. Around 1907 he turned to bright, unnatural colour, and in 1911 and 1912 he was drawn to the Cubism of Picasso and Braque, which simplified objects into planes and lines.
Gray Tree was painted at exactly that moment. Mondrian cut his colour down to greys and black so that he could give all his attention to structure: how the branches divide the canvas, where they crowd together and where they leave air.
The painting is one stage in his series of trees. The first, The Red Tree, still glowed in red and blue; over the following years he simplified the branches step by step until they became horizontal and vertical lines. His famous grids grew out of that path.
Why is Gray Tree so well known?
Because a single canvas shows how abstraction was born. Anyone who knows only Mondrian’s rectangles in red, blue and yellow can see here where they come from: from looking hard at a tree and taking away, little by little, everything that was not needed.
Here the tree is still alive, but it is already ordered like a building. That balance between nature and order makes it fascinating for anyone who wants to understand the move from landscape to pure abstraction.
You can read more about Gray Tree in the Wikipedia article, which is in English.
Where is the original, and how did it reach the museum?
The original is in The Hague, in the collection of the Kunstmuseum Den Haag, inventory number 0334314. It came to the museum as a bequest of Salomon B. Slijper.
The same museum also holds The Red Tree and Blossoming Apple Tree, so a visit to The Hague lets you see three stages of Mondrian’s path from tree to abstraction in one place.
The canvas is 79.7 cm high and 109.1 cm wide, a middle size: large enough to be noticed in a room, but not so large that it takes over the wall.
Gray Tree or another Mondrian?
Gray Tree suits calm rooms: a living room in neutral tones, a bedroom, a reading corner or a study. The greys sit well with white walls, wood, concrete and linen, so the painting does not impose a colour you would have to match your furniture to.
If you prefer a lighter, livelier version of the same theme, choose Blossoming Apple Tree of 1912, in which the tree almost dissolves into curves and soft planes of grey, ochre, pink and pale blue-green.
For a modern, minimalist home the later grids fit better: the classic Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow of 1930, or New York City of 1942, where yellow lines take the place of black ones. All the famous Mondrian paintings we paint to order are gathered on the Piet Mondrian page.
How does our painter paint your Gray Tree?
We start your Gray Tree only when you order it, in oil on canvas, layer by layer. With such a narrow palette everything depends on the steps between tones: the painter mixes a whole run of greys from black and white, from almost white to almost black, and compares them side by side on the canvas.
First come the trunk and the large arcs of the branches that set the oval shape of the crown. Then the grey field around them is built up in short strokes, so that foreground and background merge as in the original, and last of all the black branches are drawn over it with a confident brush.
This Mondrian reproduction shows brush marks and a slight relief of paint that no print has. An oil painting reproduction with so many greys also changes with the light in the room, from morning to evening.
Which size for which wall?
In short: 40 x 30 or 50 x 35 cm for a shelf or a narrow wall, 63 x 45 or 80 x 59 cm above a chest of drawers or a bedside table, 101 x 74 or 130 x 91 cm above a sofa or a bed, and 150 x 105 or 196 x 137 cm for a large wall.
There are 8 landscape sizes (width x height): 40 x 30, 50 x 35, 63 x 45, 80 x 59, 101 x 74, 130 x 91, 150 x 105 and 196 x 137 cm. Closest to the original are 101 x 74 cm, which is 8.1 cm narrower and 5.7 cm lower, and 130 x 91 cm, which is 20.9 cm wider and 11.3 cm taller.
As a painting for the living room above a sofa about two metres wide, 130 x 91 cm works well; hang it so that its centre is roughly 150 cm from the floor.
Can I choose another size or a frame?
Yes. The original is about 1.4 times as wide as it is high, so we can carry it over to a size that is not on the list without the arcs of the branches losing room at the edges. Send us the width and height you have in mind for Gray Tree, and we will come back with a price and a delivery date.
Gray Tree leaves us rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or framed; the stretching and framing are done by our workshop in Slovenia, as for every canvas painting we make. You choose the frame for Gray Tree in our 3D application, which is only for choosing the frame; seeing the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
The greys go well with a narrow black or dark grey frame; in a warmer room, try light natural wood or a slim silver moulding.
When will the painting be with me?
As soon as your order arrives we start painting, and within 15 to 45 working days it is ready to ship. Before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished Gray Tree; if you would like anything changed, we correct it.
Within Slovenia and the rest of the EU your Gray Tree crosses no customs border, and every order is covered by our returns policy.
Gray Tree is a thoughtful gift for someone who loves quiet colours or wants to know how modern art began. If they would rather choose the size themselves, give them a wall art voucher.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original Gray Tree?
In the Kunstmuseum Den Haag in The Hague, inventory number 0334314.
What colours are in the painting?
Only greys in many shades, black and white; Mondrian used no other colour here.
Is it a print?
No. You receive a hand-painted copy, made with a brush and oil paint on canvas.
How big is the original?
It is 79.7 cm high and 109.1 cm wide; our closest size is 101 x 74 cm.
Which size suits the wall above a bed?
Above a double bed, 101 x 74 or 130 x 91 cm looks best.
Can Gray Tree be painted in a size that is not listed?
Yes, we also paint to measure; send us the width and height and we will tell you the price and the date.
How long do painting and delivery take?
Your Gray Tree is ready to ship within 15 to 45 working days, and a photograph of it reaches you before it leaves.
Why is the tree grey?
Mondrian restricted his palette on purpose when he began to experiment with Cubism, to concentrate on structure and line.
- Subject: a tree in grey, black and white whose black branches arc across the whole canvas.
- Original: 1911, oil on canvas, 79.7 x 109.1 cm, Kunstmuseum Den Haag, The Hague.
- Ours: hand-painted in oil on canvas, 8 landscape sizes from 40 x 30 to 196 x 137 cm or a size of your choice, with a photograph before dispatch.
- Worth knowing: Gray Tree was painted as Mondrian began to try out Cubism; it came to the museum as a bequest of Salomon B. Slijper.
