Mondrian di fronte a Spinoza

In this essay is explored the relationship between Spinoza's philosophy and the aesthetic theory and artistic practice of Mondrian and the avant-garde movement of De Stijl. First, Spinoza's explicit presence in the texts published in the journal in the early years and his implicit presence in tacit paraphrases, in the analogy with the geometric method and the ontological and epistemological ideas set forth in the Ethics are examined. Consideration is given to the movement's manifesto, articles by Severini and Vantongerloo, and Mondrian's series of twelve articles on The New Plasticity in Painting. In order to better grasp the significance of the program of the new art-the radical geometric abstraction, matter brought to the fore, the rejection of representation, affect and reason in one, the overcoming of individualism and arbitrariness-and the influence that Spinoza's ideas may have exerted on it, a detour is made to Deleuze's lectures on Spinoza (1978) and Art (1981). In conclusion, an analysis of the visual language of some of Mondrian's works of art is made.