Piet

Piet Mondrian
Still Life with Ginger Jar II
1911-12

Mondrian's early paintings leave me with really quite a pleasant sensation.  It is the way he divides space, which is not at all aggressive as so many other cubist works seem to be.  Everything in the room - the space, the air, the objects, are broken up into pieces - soft rounded shapes, not really rough blocks.  It feels as though I am wallowing through a room, and the pieces are hanging from the ceiling on strands of thread.  There is a light wind, that puts the pieces is a small, calming, constant motion.  And as I walk in the room, I have to use my hands to move away the pieces in front of me, but once I pass they float back into their original positions.  Everything is soft and welcoming.