Polder Landscape with a Train and a Small Windmill on the Horizon 1907

Piet Mondrian created this oil painting, "Polder Landscape with a Train and a Small Windmill on the Horizon", sometime before 1900. Initially, the muted colors—primarily grays and browns—may evoke a sense of quiet melancholy. The composition is structured around a stark horizontal division: earth below, sky above. But notice how the horizon line is destabilized by the train and windmill, puncturing the serene flatness with industrial movement. This introduces a dynamic tension, a subtle critique of landscape traditions. The thick brushstrokes and earthy tones speak to a connection with the land, yet the intrusion of modern elements suggests a dialogue between nature and industrial progress. Mondrian, even in his early representational works, was grappling with the underlying structures of his environment. It's here, in the push and pull of these forms, that Mondrian begins to explore a new visual language.