Colin McCahon

Here I give thanks to Mondrian

Here I give thanks to Mondrian by Colin McCahon

Artwork Detail

In 1958, McCahon studied Piet Mondrian’s paintings in America. He later commented:

'Mondrian, it seemed to me, came up in this century as a great barrier – the painting to END all painting. As a painter, how do you get around either a Michelangelo or a Mondrian? It seems that the only way is not more "masking tape" but more involvement in the human situation.' To the spatial expansion found in Mondrian’s painting, McCahon adds his own ‘Gate’ symbolism, which he once described as a "way through". The painting is focused on the tension between three geometrical elements – diagonals, triangles and rectangles – which seem to be in constant motion.

Title
Here I give thanks to Mondrian
Artist/creator
Colin McCahon
Production date
1961
Medium
oil (alkyd) on hardboard
Dimensions
1215 x 915 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of the Friends of the Auckland Art Gallery, 1964
Accession no
1964/9/3
Other ID
cm000676 Catalogue Number
Copyright
Copying restrictions apply
Department
New Zealand Art
Display status
Not on display

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