De Stijl and Dutch Modernism - (Critical Perspectives in Art History) by Michael White (Paperback)

About the Book

De Stijl was the title of a magazine founded in the Netherlands in 1917 and is now used to identify the abstract art and functional architecture of its major contributors: Mondrian, Van Doesburg, Van der Leck, Oud, Wils and Rietveld. This book is the first to emphasize the local context of De Stijl and explore its relationship to the distinctive character of Dutch modernism. Examines the connection between debates concerning abstraction in painting and spatiality in architecture and contemporary developments in the fields of urban planning, advertising, interior design and exhibition design. Describes the interaction between the world of mass culture and the fine arts.

Book Synopsis

De Stijl was the title of a magazine founded in the Netherlands in 1917 and is now used to identify the abstract art and functional architecture of its major contributors: Mondrian, Van Doesburg, Van der Leck, Oud, Wils and Rietveld. This book is the first to emphasize the local context of De Stijl and explore its relationship to the distinctive character of Dutch modernism. Examines the connection between debates concerning abstraction in painting and spatiality in architecture and contemporary developments in the fields of urban planning, advertising, interior design and exhibition design. Describes the interaction between the world of mass culture and the fine arts.

Review Quotes

"This stimulating and original book represents a significant contribution to the scholarship on De Stijl. In elucidating theoretical complexities of the different positions adopted by the various artists and architects, Dr. White overturns many dearly and long held assumptions about the movement and throws new light on its history."--Martin Hammer, University of Edinburgh

About the Author

Michael White is Lecturer in History of Art at the University of York