Oostzijdse Mill along the River Gein by Moonlight c. 1903

Piet Mondrian made this painting of the Oostzijdse Mill along the River Gein, we don't know exactly when, but he used oil on canvas. It's all about the atmosphere of a still, moonlit night, created with these muted, grayish tones. The surface is really interesting; you can see the brushstrokes, especially in the water, where they're almost vertical, like the reflections of reeds. There's this lovely balance between the actual scene and the way Mondrian's interpreting it through paint. It's not just about depicting a landscape, but about the act of painting itself. Look at the way the moonlight is suggested through these soft, hazy strokes - it’s almost dissolving the forms. You can see this being picked up later by someone like Agnes Martin, who also uses subtle marks to evoke a mood. It's like Mondrian's already searching for something beyond the visible world, even here in this early landscape.