Composition with Color Planes 5

Composition with Color Planes 5 is a pivotal oil on canvas painting created by the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian in 1917. Executed in oil paint using precise brushwork on a square-format canvas, this work captures Mondrian’s critical transition away from the structural analysis of Cubism toward the pure geometric abstraction that would define Neoplasticism. It represents a formative stage where the artist began to synthesize color, line, and form into a universal language of balance and clarity.

The composition utilizes a sparse arrangement of rectangular fields colored with primary hues (red, blue, yellow) along with black, gray, and white. Unlike Mondrian’s iconic later works, where color is strictly contained by thick, unwavering black lines, the divisions here are subtly managed. Some colored planes appear to float, delimited by thin lines or the edges of other planes, imparting a sense of dynamic, shallow space. This careful arrangement of the color planes demonstrates the philosophical underpinning of the artist's burgeoning style, which aimed to transcend individual emotion in favor of objective, harmonious relationships.

Created in 1917, this piece solidified Mondrian’s status as a key proponent of the De Stijl movement, which sought to integrate abstraction and essential forms into both fine art and design. The work reflects the post-World War I era's drive toward a visual language that spoke of order and universal truth. This seminal Dutch painting is a cornerstone of the collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, where it is frequently studied as an example of early abstract painting. While the original remains in the museum’s care, the significance of this piece ensures that high-quality prints and references to the artwork are widely available, contributing to the understanding of geometric abstraction globally, even as older works transition into the public domain.