I found an extraordinarily interesting video montage of the works of Piet Mondrian yesterday. Mondrian has always been one of my favorite artists for his use and development of linear cubist style and primary color use, but I had never considered the evolution of this style. This video shows, presumably, the creative path of the evolving stages of his art by morphing works into one another in a roughly chronological order.
Even if you don’t appreciate Mondrian’s work, you should take a look at the video just to appreciate the works’ interconnection. In looking at this montage, it is very easy to see that each painting changed one little detail at a time, but from point x to point y a completely different style evolved.
Also, the video’s soundtrack features an excerpt from Philip Glass’s Glassworks, one of the composer’s stylistically defining pieces. Something about the combination of Glass’s music and Mondrian’s trippily morphing art put me into an almost hypnotic trance the first time I saw it. Feel free to give your opinions.
1 Comment
June 27, 2009 at 7:28 pm
This is breathtaking – you’re right about the trancelike thing. I had never heard of Mondrian, but I think I recognize his work. He has an astounding sense of proportion and ratio (at least it seems so to me). The ability to make squares and rectangles profoundly moving – what a gift.
Would you consider Glass an influence in your own compositions? Just curious.
Are there more videos like this?
And let’s not forget: the animator/editor of this video deserves a lot of credit, too.