Counter-composition VI. 1925

Theo van Doesburg made this painting, Counter-composition VI, with oil on canvas. The simple materials belie the intellectual depth that Van Doesburg was striving for. The crisp grid and bold black bars are all about a rational, almost industrial approach to art-making. The underlying structure is made from small squares, reminiscent of graph paper, or architectural blueprints. The grid acts as a framework for the artist to arrange and adjust his composition, as if constructing it piece by piece. Van Doesburg was deeply engaged with modernism, including its utopian aim of uniting art, technology, and design. He wasn’t just making a painting, he was proposing a new way of seeing and structuring the world. He engaged with art as a mode of production, embracing new forms and techniques that aligned with the industrialized age. This painting is a testament to the power of simple forms and materials, when combined with a considered understanding of the modern world.