Piet Mondrian was a Dutch artist. He is most famous for his distinctive abstract paintings, using straight lines and primary colours. He made more than 200 paintings in this style, which he called “neoplasticism”.
His abstract work developed after the First World War while he was living in Paris. Later in his life he was influenced by his love for jazz and boogie woogie music.
Teach your children about Mondrian using our handy topic guide!
Teaching Ideas
- Follow this step by step guide to making your own Mondrian painting.
- Display a Mondrian painting, for example Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red and analyse how many different shapes you can see. What kind of lines has he used (encourage vocabulary such as perpendicular, parallel etc.)?
- Make your own Mondrian masterpiece from Lego.
- Make a Mondrian inspired wallet.
- Mondrian loved Boogie Woogie music, and made a famous picture called Broadway Boogie Woogie. Listen to some Boogie Woogie music while you make your artworks. This page gives you more information.
Resources
- We have Mondrian themed resources in many of our packs. These include:
- Download this colouring template.
- Create your own Mondrian online.
Mondrian Facts
- Mondrian never used a ruler to draw straight lines!
- Mondrian worked for a time making scientific drawings of bacteria.
- Piet Mondrian was born Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan in Amersfoot, The Netherlands, in 1872.
- He started off painting landscapes, before his work became more abstract.
- Mondrian left Europe to escape the Second World War and spent the rest of his life in New York. He died on 1st of February, 1944.
Videos
Piet Mondrian-Inspired Masking Tape Art
Learn how to use masking tape to create a piece of art, just like Mondrian.
Running time: 1:17
Ten Amazing Things Piet Mondrian Fans Will Love to See and Own
A selection of products decorated in the style of Mondrian, perfect for inspiring your own Mondrian projects.
Running time: 1:42
Who was Piet Mondriaan?
A short animated introduction to Mondrian’s life.
Running time: 1:34
Primary Colors
A fun music video looking at red, yellow and blue.
Running time: 1:34
Easy Mondrian Drawing for Kids
This is a great way to make a Mondrian artwork using shape templates.
Running time: 3:53
Books
Coppernickel Goes Mondrian
An imaginative story using the work of Mondrian.
If Picasso Painted a Snowman
This lovely book imagines how Mondrian (and lots of other famous artists) would have painted a snowman.
Children's Book of Art
A visual trip through art history.
Links
- Visit the Tate kids Mondrian page.
- Find out more about Mondrian on this Kiddle page.
- Play Squares against Mondrian.
- Experiment with Mondrian’s ideas on the Mondrimat.
Are you teaching your children about other topics? Explore our full collection of guides!
