Wednesday 2nd August, first visit.

The exhibition title is 'Hilma af Klint & Piet Mondrian, Forms of Life'. I wandered through the galleries initially to get a sense of the content and decided to focus on the Mondrian works intially as I had not ever seen many in the past and certainly not given the Artist full attention.
The curatorial decision to exhibit the two artists together will have to wait for further consideration.

The early Mondrian paintings indicated a concern for the 'retinal' aspect of the Post Impressionists. The interest in plants, flowers and trees seems a 'natural' starting point for many visual artists. I certainly identify with that route.

Forest (Study for The Trees), 1912, Crayon on paper
Kunstmuseum Den Haag

Flowering Apple Tree, 1912, Oil paint on canvas
Kunstmuseum Den Haag

Composition Trees 1, 1912-13, Oil paint on canvas
Kunstmuseum Den Haag - bequest Salomon B. Slijper

Wednesday 2nd August, first visit.

'Forest (Study for The Trees), 1912' was, to me a good starting point with interesting marks and gestures that translate into 'Composition Trees 1, 1912-13' which has a glittering light in the limited palette. 'The Flowering Apple Tree, 1912' has more formalised drawn elements with a subtle low key colour palette.

The paintings from 1914 demonstrate a further precise use of colour, lifting the the drawn oval structures. In the slightly later 'Composition in Line, Second State, 1916-17' the 'not black' lines sit in the 'not white' ground with the adjustment to the dark element allowing an atmospheric development, lost in the digital image.

Composition No. IV, 1914, Oil paint on canvas
Kunstmuseum Den Haag - bequest Salomon B. Slijper

Composition in Oval with Colour Areas II, 1914, Oil paint on canvas
Kunstmuseum Den Haag - bequest Salomon B. Slijper

Composition in Line, Second State, 1916-17, Oil paint on canvas
Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands

Wednesday 2nd August, first visit.

'Composition with Grid 9: Checkerboard Composition with Bright Colours, 1919' was a real surprise to me and exhibits a wonderful sparkly field of subtly varied colours with an acute sense of surface. The varied application of what might have been the same low keyed colour seems to be in contrast to the 'Bright Colours' of the title.
The sense of careful attention to the surface and acute judgement of the black/grey/white and colour intensity is evident in 'Composition with Red, Black, Yellow, Blue and Grey, 1921' and continues in the late painting 'Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red, 1937-42'. I was happy to find such a clear sense of surface in the 'not white' surface and visibility in the darkest elements of both these paintings which are almost evident in the reproductions.

Composition with Grid 9: Checkerboard Composition with Bright Colours, 1919, Oil paint on canvas
Kunstmuseum Den Haag - bequest Salomon B. Slijper

Composition with Red, Black, Yellow, Blue and Grey, 1921, Oil paint on canvas
Kunstmuseum Den Haag

Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red, 1937-42, Oil paint on canvas
Tate. Purchased 1964

Tuesday 8th August, second visit.

I was curious to see if a close-up detail image could convey something of the working of the paint in both instances here.

I missed one room on this visit so will go back again. The intervals and pace of the late paintings was more evident in this second visitation but I will have to consider the impact of the 'cracked' paint next time!

Detail from:- Composition in Line, Second State, 1916-17, Oil paint on canvas
Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands

Detail from:- Composition with Grid 9: Checkerboard Composition with Bright Colours, 1919, Oil paint on canvas
Kunstmuseum Den Haag - bequest Salomon B. Slijper

Monday 14th August, third visit.

Another quick visit and a moment to consider the impact of the 'cracked' paint. While I was concerned that the cracking may detract from the integrity of the paintings there is sufficient 'surface' brush marking to provide a visual anchor and the cracks merely reinforce that placing. The surface of the 'black' elements is probably more significant.

Thursday 24th August, fourth visit.

Probably a final look today and I particularly enjoyed the Composition with Grid 9: Checkerboard Composition with Bright Colours, 1919.

Having left the 'paying' exhibitions I wandered into the collection galleries and found another Mondrian!

I am glad to have had the opportunity to see a group of works by Mondrian in close proximity. I do not have any further thoughts on the curatorial background to the exhibition.

Composition with Grid 9: Checkerboard Composition with Bright Colours, 1919, Oil paint on canvas
Kunstmuseum Den Haag - bequest Salomon B. Slijper

Composition C (No. III) with Red, Yellow and Blue, 1935, Oil paint on canvas. (Long term loan to Tate, 1981)