Red Amaryllis with Blue Background

Red Amaryllis with Blue Background is a highly significant watercolor on paper created by Piet Mondrian in 1907. Classified as a drawing, this piece exemplifies the crucial transitional phase of the Dutch artist’s career, demonstrating his profound engagement with naturalistic representation just before his eventual pivot toward radical abstraction. The work captures the intense vibrancy of the large amaryllis bloom, rendering the deep, warm red of the petals against a heavily washed, cool blue background, a stark contrast that lends the botanical study an emotional resonance.

Mondrian executed the drawing with precise yet fluid watercolor techniques, allowing the rich pigment of the flower to dominate the composition. The background remains atmospheric and loosely defined, drawing the viewer’s attention to the delicate structure and energetic lines of the plant itself. While Mondrian’s geometric grid works would ultimately define his contribution to modern art, pieces from the period around Red Amaryllis with Blue Background (c. 1907) show his mastery in manipulating color, light, and form even within conventional subject matter like still life and floral studies.

As a leading figure in the Dutch avant-garde of the early 20th century, Mondrian was deeply influenced by Impressionism and Symbolism during this time. The intense focus on natural motifs served as a vital foundation for the spiritual and theoretical explorations that would lead to De Stijl. This work, a key example of his pre-abstract output, documents the sophisticated visual vocabulary he developed during his time working in the Netherlands.

The drawing currently resides in the prestigious collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), solidifying its place as an important artifact documenting the evolution of 20th-century art. While the original is a sensitive watercolor on paper, the work’s composition and historical value ensure that high-quality prints reflecting this early Dutch period remain popular and widely accessible for study outside of major museum archives. The significance of this piece, created around c. 1907, continues to be studied as scholars trace the foundational elements of Mondrian's revolutionary geometric innovations.