DE STIJL

DE STIJL
De Stijl-ontwerp is deur die Hollandse tradisie van logika, hardheid en duidelikheid beïnvloed. Dit is duidelik in die abstrakte styl wat daarna streef om uiterste eenvoud te bereik deur slegs reguit, horisontale en vertikale lyne te gebruik, geometriese vierkante en reghoeke, asook primêre en neutrale kleure. Hulle stroping van realiteit tot blokagtige vorms toon ook die invloed van Kubisme, asook die Eeu van die Masjien. Hierdie klem op eenvoud skep ‘n formele, koue, rasionele effek.

Die gebruik van geometriese vorms en lyne wat gerangskik word om ‘n geordende, stabiele komposisie te skep, versterk ook die gevoel van formaliteit. Die formalistiese rangskikking is gedoen volgens wiskundige wette van balans en harmonie, geïnspireer deur die teorieë van die Hollandse filosoof, Schoenmaeker, wat gepoog het om ‘n perfekte balans tussen teenoorgesteldes te kry.

‘n Voorbeeld van ‘n De Stijl-ontwerp is die Rooi en Blou Leunstoel deur Gerrit Rietveld (Nederland), 1917. Die gebruik van slegs reguitlyne en blokagtige vorms in hierdie stoel skep ‘n formele, meganiese effek. Die feit dat daar slegs skerp hoeke en geen krom lyne is nie, asook gladde, onversierde oppervlakke, is getrou aan die ontwerp se kliniese, kalm en rasionele kwaliteit. Die kleurskema is beperk tot die drie primêre kleure en swart, wat eenheid en harmonie verseker.

DE STIJL

Designer and work: Gerrit Rietveld – Red Blue Chair / Theo van Doesburg – Official First Day Card /Gerrit Rietveld – Hanging Lamp

Influences: They were influenced by Cubism in their reduction of form to basic geometric shapes. They were also influenced by the Dutch logic and order. Another influence was the mathematical philosophies of the Dutch philosopher and theosophist, Schoenmaekers.

Characteristics:
They used only the three primaries (red, yellow and blue) and the three non-colours (black, grey and white).
Abstraction and simplification were used with smooth surfaces.
They only used vertical and horizontal lines.
They believed in balance, harmony, order, logic and purity.
Architectural spaces were arranged according to a system to create function and harmony. All shapes/forms are abstract blocks/shapes of squares and rectangles. The Red Blue Chair is a perfectly balanced open structure design with supporting parts jutting out into the surrounding space. They only used primary colours and neutrals in their design.

Difference they made:
The simplicity of the design, minimal use of colour and smooth surfaces had a large influence on the Bauhaus and Modernism as well as fashion in the 1960s. Design today has benefitted from their understanding of the beauty of pure geometric abstraction and highly organised, stable compositions.