Piet Mondrian led a Dutch group of modernists who sought to eliminate emotion from art. Which of the following best describes this style?

• A. Lines and rectangles; absolute abstraction
• B. Realistic color representation
• C. Emotion-driven imagery
• D. Nature-inspired motifs

Answer: (C)

Mondrian’s approach centers on universal order achieved through pure abstraction. He and the De Stijl artists stripped art down to a grid of vertical and horizontal lines and flat rectangles, using only primary colors plus black, white, and gray. The goal wasn’t to imitate the real world or to express personal feelings; it was to remove emotion and represent a universal harmony through exact geometry and balanced composition. That makes the best description lines and rectangles; absolute abstraction, capturing a non-representational, highly ordered visual language. The other ideas—realistic color, emotion-driven imagery, or nature-inspired motifs—clash with this aim of objective, non-emotional form.