“Pit Mondrian
is a great painter who shouldn't be introduced…” – this is the phrase I might
use to start any other article about this famous artist. But after the visit of
exhibition “Pit Mondrian the way to abstraction” in the modern building of Tretyakov
gallery you wouldn't hear this phrase from me anymore.
Speaking
about my personal opinion about this exhibition we should pay attention to my
previous familiarity with Mondrian’s works. Before I went to the exhibition I
did already have a mature attitude about it from some books, museum collections
and one great exhibition “Pit Mondrian & De Stijl” in Centre Georges
Pompidou. So for me this exhibition was simply a supplement to my previous
knowledge and author’s perception.
I guess
most visitor’s impression from the exhibition should be different from mine
because this might be their first fundamental acquaintance with Mondrian that
formed attitude about him. Preparing the exhibition curators could have known
about it. Therefore in my opinion they simply should show Mondrian’s most
famous masterpieces that the auditory usually admires (placard of the exhibition
encourages people with such masterpiece). But they decided not to do it,
instead of presenting best Mondrian’s works of neo-plasticism period (there were
only 4 works of this period!) they exhibited us only the way to this works. So
instead of Mondrian-genius we have seen ordinary painter who couldn't detect
his own artistic position and rushed about different popular styles.
Of course,
for people who did know what kind of research they should do on this exhibition
it might have been useful. Experienced visitors could become interested in canvas
mounting (different frames and author’s signs), transformation from natural
forms to abstract, or in the question’s
moot about Mondrian’s form that were divided into geometries or geometries
integrated in the form as another layer and in other various nuances. However
less people could really mark such shades, because it is possible to understand
them only having any knowledge about actual essence of Mondrian’s work.
I can
advise this exhibition to people who are familiar with Mondrian’s work or for
people who will surly make themselves familiar with his works done after 1916
before or after the exhibition. For other people I guess this exhibition will
stick to theirs memory only with third-rate works of well-known Hollander,
which exhibition they probably wouldn't visit again.
photo by Itar-Tass Mikhail Metzel
