Piet Mondriaan - De rode boom - 2000s

Evening; The Red Tree is a painting by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian, created between 1908 and 1910. It is an oil on canvas, measuring 70 × 99 cm, and marks the transition from his early realistic work to his later abstract compositions. The painting is currently housed in the Kunstmuseum Den Haag.

In the summers of 1908–1910, Mondrian stayed in Domburg, including at Villa Loverendale, the home of his patron Marie Tak van Poortvliet. This period was pivotal in his career, as he shifted from realism to a more abstract style, characterized by horizontal and vertical lines. His artistic quest was to capture the essential and deeper essence of what he perceived, progressively omitting non-essential elements. Paintings from this period are seen as transitional works, and *Evening; The Red Tree* exemplifies this.

In *The Red Tree*, Mondrian portrays a kind of weeping willow at dusk, abandoning traditional realistic color and form principles. The explosive use of fiery red and cobalt blue reflects the influence of Post-Impressionism and artists like Jan Toorop and Vincent van Gogh. The elements of the painting, such as the radiating branches and simplified forms, are stylized and abstracted. Through balanced curves, crisscross lines, and textured brushstrokes, Mondrian emphasizes movement and compositional equilibrium, while guiding the viewer's eye through the scene. Depth is created solely through the contrast between the dark red tree in the foreground and the solid blue background.