Yves Saint Laurent inspired by Mondrian

 

 

Mondrian dresses at the Museum of Modern Art by Yves Saint Laurent, 1966, via Khan Academy

Mondrian was one of the first artists that painted abstract art in the 20th century. Born in the Netherlands, in 1872, he started an entire art movement called the De Stijl. The movement’s goal was to combine modern art and life. The style, also known as Neoplasticism, was a form of abstract art in which using only geometric principles and primary colors, such as red, blue, and yellow was combined with neutrals (black, gray, and white). Mondrian’s innovative style of the early 1900s had fashion designers replicating this pure type of abstract art. The best example of a De Stijl painting is the Composition with Red Blue and Yellow.

As a lover of art, the French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent incorporated Mondrian’s paintings into his haute couture creations. He was first inspired by Mondrian when reading a book on the artist’s life that his mother gave him for Christmas.

Yves Saint Laurent even said: ‘’Mondrian is purity, and you can’t go any further in painting. The masterpiece of the twentieth century is a Mondrian.”   (source)