Composition with window with coloured glass III 1917

This small stained-glass artwork, "Composition with window with coloured glass III" by Theo van Doesburg, is a symphony of colored rectangles constrained within a square. The primary colors – red, blue, and yellow – bring to mind a lineage dating back to antiquity, where colors were believed to hold esoteric powers. The geometric rigidity may remind us of earlier attempts at ordering the cosmos through symbolic forms. The square itself is an ancient symbol of order, stability, and the earthly realm, a concept found in mandalas and city layouts across cultures. Yet, here, these shapes and colors break free from mere representation, striving instead for a pure, almost spiritual expression through abstraction. We see an urge to dissect and reassemble the world, hinting at the shifting foundations of the early 20th century. The subconscious yearns for a new visual language to express an era of uncertainty and change. Note the irony that, despite the intention to depart from the past, such shapes recur, transformed.