Chrysanthemum

Piet Mondrian

Gouache on paper

Gemeentemuseum Den Haag

This work depicts a single chrysanthemum blossom rendered in gouache on paper, exemplifying Mondrian's sustained engagement with flower studies during his pre-abstract period. The composition isolates the bloom frontally, inviting close scrutiny of its intricate petal structure—an approach Mondrian pursued across more than two hundred floral studies made throughout his career. Rooted in Post-Impressionist influences and inflected by the spiritual currents of Symbolism, the work reflects Mondrian's belief that the natural form of a single flower could reveal deeper, hidden essences of reality. As a Dutch artist trained in Amsterdam and later pivotal to the founding of De Stijl and the development of Neo-Plasticism, Mondrian's flower studies stand as a crucial bridge between his naturalistic origins and his eventual radical abstraction.