Brief aan Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan (sr.) Possibly 1892

This is a copy of a letter to Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan senior, written in Amsterdam on October 22, 1892, by the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten. Addressed to Mondriaan’s father, the letter discusses his son’s acceptance to the academy, detailing class schedules and expectations. In the late 19th century, art academies were spaces of both tradition and change. Mondriaan, later known simply as Mondrian, emerged during a time when artists were beginning to question academic conventions, exploring new forms of expression that reflected modern life and individual experience. The letter hints at the structured environment and expectations placed upon young artists, even as they stood on the cusp of breaking away from established norms. Mondrian's later radical departure into abstraction can be seen, in part, as a response to or rejection of this formal training. Consider this letter a tangible link to the artist’s formative years, a moment in time before Mondrian redefined the boundaries of art. It reminds us that even the most revolutionary figures have roots in tradition.