Composition 8 1914

Piet Mondrian made "Composition 8" sometime during the early 20th century using oil paint, and what strikes me first are the soft, muted colors and the grid-like structure, like a city block seen from above, or maybe a map of someone's mind. The canvas is divided into rectangles and squares, each filled with a thin layer of color—mostly grays and pinks, with a few blocks of off-white thrown in for good measure. Up close, you can see the subtle variations in the paint, how some areas are more textured than others. There is a real sense of restraint, of control, but there’s also a kind of quiet energy, like the painting is holding its breath. Notice that in the upper left, there's a grey block, and then another with a tiny semi-circle, a ghost of an archway, hinting at something beyond the grid. Mondrian’s process reminds me a little of Agnes Martin, and their shared commitment to exploring the beauty of simple forms, but Mondrian is trying to impose order, while Martin is more interested in letting go.