Destijl movement Utopian values essays

Destijl movement Utopian values essays The De Stijl Movement of the early twentieth century was founded in 1917 by Theo Van Doesburg. Initially established as a journal, he brought together a group of artists, architects, sculptors, designers and writers who collectively published the first issue of the journal entitled, De Stijl (the style). By publishing this they hoped to create a dais for the voice of the modern world and the avant-garde. As this new form of art was emerging Van Doesburg realised that the work had to be accompanied by a literary commentary, almost having to defend their innovations and theories. It was hoped that in printing such a journal they were developing a new public awareness of what was considered beautiful and so making them more open to modern art. The De Stijl believed art was capable of leading mankind toward a brighter future, a new and revolutionary utopia. By looking at the work of three of the most prominent members, Theo Van Doesburg, Piet Mondrian and Gerrit Rietveld, we can see how their cumulative utopian ideals manifested through their individual projects. Universal harmony was the focus of the De Stijl. Art had a new mission. It preceded life and showed the way to the realisation of universal harmony. They wanted to bring mankind to light and purity that would spill to every facet of life, including politics, music, architecture and theatre. The De Stijl members believed that this universal enlightenment and harmony was obscured by the individualism and irrelevancies of life. In their search for these truths they sought to reveal them through the creation of a new model. They tried to achieve this in their collective projects through the use of the most direct and elemental means, namely: primary colours, considered to be the only true colours; strong verticals and horizontals, representing male and female opposing forces; and, asymmetrical compositions. By breaking down the organic representation and reducin...