Colour design for a chimney 1917

Theo van Doesburg designed this colour scheme for a chimney using oil paint in the early 20th century. I imagine the artwork began with a single block of colour, maybe that cadmium yellow, and then another one, until the surface began to breathe with a careful geometric rhythm. I am immediately drawn to the black outlines—a deliberate choice that asserts each block's individuality, almost like tiles. Van Doesburg seems to have really enjoyed the interplay between structure and randomness. The painting’s surface is alive with variation, each rectangle a small but deliberate act of colour and form. There's something about the evenness of the paint that gives it a calm, almost meditative quality. It reminds me of the visual experiments that Mondrian was doing, where pure abstraction becomes a way of seeking universal harmony. You get the feeling these guys were constantly pushing each other. It’s an invitation, really, to consider how colours and shapes affect how we perceive the world, and to understand that painting, at its best, is always a kind of ongoing investigation.