A Stained-Glass Tree
Theo van Doesburg, Tree (L’arbre-maisons), 1916, oil on panel, 26 x 22 in.
Portland Art Museum
Dutch modernist Theo van Doesburg is best known for being a founder of De Stijl (Dutch for “The Style”), an artistic style and philosophy devoted to portraying spirituality through pure abstraction - horizontal and vertical lines and primary colors. Yet his career was expansive and varied, growing from early naturalistic representation, figural, and Impressionist-inspired works into various forms of abstraction. Involved in other modernist styles such as Constructivism, Dadaism and Elementarism, van Doesburg lectured, published writings and organized exhibits. Also a designer and architect, van Doesburg was integral in bringing the De Stijl aesthetic into the third dimension by means of architectural spaces.
Painted just before the founding of De Stijl in 1917, van Doesburg’s Tree displays nature broken down into simplified geometric forms. The central subject of a green tree consists of a large triangular element formed out of repeating smaller green triangles tipped in red. The consistency and unity of the triangular tree contrasts with the background composed of irregularly sized rectangular elements in varying hues that are pierced in several places by intersecting triangular forms. Though painted entirely in green, the geometric shapes comprising the tree have been given different tones, thicknesses and textures, giving the tree a somewhat organic feel. The elements of the background consist of naturalistic sky-toned colors such as blue, grey and green and have been painted in varying thickness and degrees of opacity, eliciting the sensation of looking through a stained glass window, a medium in which van Doesburg worked extensively throughout his career.