Open Horizons Breed Optimism
Horizons were important in Mondrian’s works.
They often featured in the polder landscapes of his early figurative days. They played an important role in his first steps towards abstraction, in his series of works depicting the Scheveningen pier and ocean. And I believe that they are still present in his later abstract work.
Why?
Because horizons bring balance, calm and a sense of positivity.
Moreover, they breed optimism.
Once I read a piece of research that claimed that the prevalence of a higher sense of optimism among the Dutch stems from the ubiquity of open horizons, given the flatness of their country.
I could not find this piece of research again, but surely I believe it.
These paintings are part of the series ‘Mondrian not Mondriaan’, a series of paintings I’m creating as a gentle protest against the Dutch museums and cultural institutions who continue to refer to Mondrian as Mondriaan