Cubism did not accept the logical consequences of its own discoveries; it was not developing abstraction towards its own goal, the expression of pure reality.
Interpretation
This quote critiques Cubism for not fully embracing the potential of its own innovations in art.
Piet Mondrian's statement highlights that while Cubism made significant strides in understanding and depicting reality, it failed to pursue the abstraction it could have achieved. Instead of fully exploring the expression of pure reality through abstraction, Cubism remained limited by its own discoveries, suggesting a missed opportunity for deeper artistic exploration.
In practice
This quote could be used in an art critique to discuss the limitations of Cubism.
I think you too recognize the important relationship between philosophy and art, and it is just this relationship that most painters deny. The great masters do grasp it, unconsciously; but I believe that a painter's conscious spiritual knowledge will have a much greater influence upon his art, and that it would be due only to a weakness in him, or lack of genius, should this spiritual knowledge be harmful to his art.
Experience was my only teacher; I knew little of the modern art movement. When I first saw the works of the Impressionists, van Gogh, van Dongen, and Fauves, I admired it. But I had to seek the true way alone.
One can rightly speak of an evolution in plastic art. It is of the greatest importance to note this fact, for it reveals the true way of art - the only path along which we can advance.
Vertical and horizontal lines are the expression of two opposing forces; they exist everywhere and dominate everything; their reciprocal action constitutes 'life'. I recognized that the equilibrium of any particular aspect of nature rests on the equivalence of its opposites.
The emotion of beauty is always obscured by the appearance of the object. Therefore, the object must be eliminated from the picture.
The truly modern artist is aware of abstraction in an emotion of beauty.
When I design and wonder what the point is, I think of someone having a bad time in their life. Maybe they are sad and they wake up and put on something I have made and it makes them feel just a bit better. So, in that sense, fashion is a little help in the life of a person. But only a little.
It's wonderful when music is intellectually stimulating. But ultimately it has to be a visceral experience.
A poet is the creator of the nation around him, he gives them a world to see and has their souls in his hand to lead them to that world.
I think it's important to earn your fan base and not just try to immediately advance to the top. If you ride to the top quickly, you're liable to fall as quickly. Take your time. It's a long journey ahead of you as an artist. There's nowhere that you're supposed to be other than right now living inside of your art.
Most people think I paint fast. I paint very slowly.
Remember, writing poetry is like making love: one will never know whether one's own pleasure is shared.
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