Considered Mondrian’s masterpiece, Broadway Boogie Woogie is a shimmering combination of multi-colored grid lines, complete with blocks of color, all in the primary palette. This piece represents another development in the unique style of the artist, which may have been the most profound. After the abandonment of representational forms in 1913 and the reconciliation of his spiritual concerns with his aesthetic, Mondrian had finally developed the transition of solid black lines to lines consisting of multi-colored, vibrant hues, creating an entirely new feeling. This painting represents Mondrian’s seminal work as an artist, and unlike much of his work, is not entirely non-representational. One can see the grid of the Manhattan city streets and feel the beat of the boogie woogie music of which Mondrian was so fond.
More ...Broadway Boogie Woogie is a painting by Piet Mondrian completed in 1943, shortly after he moved to New York in 1940. Compared to his earlier work, the canvas is divided into a much larger number of squares. Although he spent most of his career creating abstract work, this painting is inspired by clear real-world examples: the city grid of Manhattan, and the Broadway boogie woogie, a type of music Mondrian loved. The painting was bought by the Brazilian sculptor Maria Martins for the price of $800 at the Valentine Gallery in New York City, after Martins and Mondrian both exhibited there in 1943. Martins later donated the painting to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
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