De stijl - neo plasticism

Descriptive of a group of Dutch painters, architects, sculptors and writers under the leadership of Theo van Doesburg, the term De Stijl is a Dutch word meaning Style in English. The group, founded in 1917, was totally committed to abstraction. Members asserted they could achieve a pure, universal art by using only primary colors, and black and white, and rectangular lines. Between 1917 and 1928, they published a journal, "De Stijl", whose purpose was to make 'modern man receptive to what is new in the visual arts'. Founding members of De Stijl included painters Piet Mondrian, Bart van der Leck and Wilmos Huszar, and sculptor Georges Vantongerloo. De Stijl has become synonymous with Neo-Plasticism, the name of their Manifesto published in 1920 and the descriptive term preferred by Mondrian. The influence of the group in promoting minimal elements was long lasting on architecture, commercial and industrial designs, graphics and painting. De Stijl was promoted by the Bauhaus School of Design. Sources: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques"; Kimberley Reynolds and Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms"; Julia M Ehresmann, "The Pocket Dictionary of Art Terms".