Woods near Oele 1908

Piet Mondrian made this painting of Woods near Oele with oil on canvas, and at first glance, you can see a deep exploration of vertical lines in moody blues and purples, punctuated by strokes of oranges and yellows. I imagine Mondrian standing before the canvas, wrestling with form and light, simplifying what he saw. It’s like he’s trying to get at the bones of the forest, the very essence of those trees. He’s playing with the push and pull of colors, how they vibrate against each other. Look at the way those vertical strokes of orange reach upwards, fighting against the dominant blues. It reminds me a bit of Van Gogh's mark-making, that same urge to capture something beyond the surface. There is a feeling of being in the woods, but it's also a feeling of Mondrian pushing painting toward something new. Artists like him are always talking to each other, across time, inspiring each other to see and feel differently. And that's what makes painting so alive—it's always changing, always surprising us.