De Stijl, meaning "The Style" in English was a Dutch movement that came to life in 1917. The man behind the idea of De Stijl was Theo Van Doesburg who was a painter, designer, writer and critic.
Theo Van Doesburg published a journal named "De Stijl" where he wrote about the groups theories. This group of artists who had the same thoughts about art and design included Piet Mondrian, Vilmos Huszàr, Bart van der Leck and the architects Gerrit Rietveld, Robert van 't Hoff and and J.J.P. Oud. Their thoughts and art has also been called Neoplasticism as in the new plastic art.
Gerrit Rietveld was also a furniture designer and is probably most famous for his "Red and Blue Chair". Which I think is the perfect example how art and design go hand in hand and that was is on the canvas can be transferred to a three dimensional object yet telling the same story.
In the De Stijl Manifesto includes the theories of how to use colours and forms such as;
-Use only primary colours together with black and white
-All shapes should be geometrical
-Symmetry is to be avoided
-Balance and rythm are enhanced by relationships of proportion and location
-Create total abstraction...
De Stijl was more a collective project than an "ism" like cubism or dadaism etc. But it was a influenced by Cubism in the sence of "ideal geometric form" such as finding the "perfect straight line". Piet Mondrian was living in Paris at the time when Cubism was emerging and must have chared his inspiration from that art form to his Dutch friends.
De Stijl has indeed inspired later generations in art, design and architecture. It definately influenced Bauhaus and still today we find inspiration in their work and theories.
