Image Essay #12

In this very famous composition by Piet Mondrian called "Broadway Boogie Woogie," the artist really plays on a dominance structure and the use of triadic colors, or three colors of equal separation on the color wheel. The colors employed in this piece are yellow, blue, and red. By its very simple yet energetic composition, the viewer's eye is led all around the picture plane. There is a strong sense of movement in this piece. The squares seem to leap from the canvas and draw the viewer in. The fact that there is a triadic color scheme seems to cause the blues and reds to jump out.

The grid is actually real-world inspired. It is a city grid of Manhattan in New York City, and it is said that Mondrian enjoyed dancing to "boogie woogie" music. This piece also shows the influence that Mondrian had on modern day advertising and design. This grid look is used very often in advertisements. I have seen this particular piece (and others by Mondrian) without knowing exactly what they were. It is easy to see that Mondrian was very influential to modern art as we know it today and its continuing evolution in the future.