Unhappy introduction

“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