De Stijl

    There was a turning away from old forms and philosophies among architects and designers after World War I. A lot of the same abstract ideas came into play as well as ideas that incorporated the "machine" aesthetics of this new industrial age. De Stijl (Dutch for 'The Style') is a movement formed by a group of architects and artists influenced by some of the ideas of Dada. It was launched in the Netherlands in the late summer of 1917. According to Meggs' History of Graphic Design, De Stijl artists sought universal laws of balance and harmony for art, which could then be a prototype for a new social order. The initial source of their ideas came from Dada notions about dispensing with the pretentious elitist design aesthetics of the pre war era. Some of the early work of Frank Lloyd Wright, which had been published in Europe in 1910, influenced their notions about form. Japanese sources were also of significance, though these ideas may have been derived through the work of Wright. 

    De Stijl was the ultimate abstraction, made with simplicity and clarity. The designers distilled everything down to the bare minimum and filtered out all representational elements. De Stijl forced the audience to think about their relationship to the world, relating them to the color, space, and form around them. 

    It is almost unbelievable that this idea of finding new aesthetics of art and principles and to find a way to express the idea of spiritual harmony and order through art started from a simple magazine and turned into an influential art movement. The way that all of these artists during this movement expressed a meaningful message, while keeping a beautiful design with the use of three primary colors (or sometimes even less) is definitely inspiring. This movement inspired many other designers in modern design and modern architecture, and conveys the intention of the designer very abstractly. This combination of ideas from separate individuals undeniably makes this movement one of the most impactful art movements of all time.