Back to Nature. Mondriaan and the Hague School

It is well known that Piet Mondriaan (1872–1944) became world-famous for his abstract paintings. But not everyone knows that at the beginning of his career he was a very accomplished landscape painter. He was inspired by the painters of the Hague School, but developed his own style nonetheless.

Contemporary inspiration along the Gein

Amersfoort artist Annemieke Harkema grew up in Abcoude. She spent her childhood alongside the rivers the Gein, the Angstel and the Vecht — the landscape where Mondriaan, in his early years, was often to be found behind his easel. In her landscapes, Annemieke seems in the first instance to be searching for atmosphere and space, which she conjures with minimal means. Specially for the exhibition 'Back to Nature. Mondriaan and the Hague School', she created a vitrine with drawings of the Gein and the plants that grow there.

150 years of Mondriaan — the celebration of the imagination

Piet Mondriaan was born 150 years ago (1872) in Amersfoort. In 2022, the city marks this remarkable fact extensively with a wide-ranging and varied cultural programme entitled "Het feest van de verbeelding" (The Celebration of the Imagination). An important element of the Mondriaan programme is exhibitions about or inspired by the work of the painter in Amersfoort's museums.

Author: Annebeth Felet