Chrysanthemum of Mondrian

Chrysanthemums are widely considered symbols of death and mourning across many cultures due to their long-lasting flowers, reminiscent of enduring love and memories. While Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) is known for his lively and visually impactful abstract works featuring red, blue, and yellow squares in black grids, it is a lesser-known fact that he drew many chrysanthemum paintings. You may wonder why the artist was attracted to this particular flower.

Mondrian, widely known as a pioneer of 20th-century abstract art, was a realist painter of still life and landscape works in his early years. He was greatly influenced by the French Barbizon school, most notably Jean-François Millet. Dazzled by flowers over 20 years, starting in 1900, he produced over 250 flower paintings, most of which feature chrysanthemums.

“Chrysanthemum” (1908-1909) is drawn with conte crayon, a drawing crayon, on paper, with focus placed on a large chrysanthemum blossom. The artist portrays the flower with high precision and realism, as if dissecting it with his naked eyes. The thin, long petals of the chrysanthemum are twisted, scattered, and hung down, showing signs of its decline. The leaves, already dried and shrunken, are even left unfinished. Mondrian often chose chrysanthemums that soon wither over fully blooming ones. Van Gogh's “Sunflowers” might have inspired him to express the powerful, curvy lines of the petals.

Mondrian once said that he focused on single flowers rather than bouquets to better capture how flowers are innately structured. Although he expressly stated that he was drawn to the sculptural beauty of flowers, it is presumed that he was also intrigued by the symbolic significance of chrysanthemums, given that he got deeply engaged with Theosophy around the time he worked on this painting.

Chrysanthemums, given that they blossom from summer into fall, also represent the harvest season and the cycle of nature. With sculptural beauty and this symbolic meaning taken into consideration, the chrysanthemum might have been an ideal subject for the artist, who attempted experiments with art at the spiritual level, explaining his continuous interest in this particular flower.