Piet Mondriaan

The paper has yellowed. A few very minor pinholes in the upper left corner. There is a very minor indentation of approximately 4 mm. in the upper part of the left edge of the sheet . There are some minor pinholes along the lower edge of the sheet, circa 1 cm. below the image. The sheet is loose from the backing. The work is framed in the original frame.
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The present lot depicts the Oostzijdse Windmill on Het Gein near Abcoude, which Mondriaan executed around 1902-1903. This important drawing, which was discovered only recently, is the only known study for the important painting titled 'The Oostzijdse Molen at Het Gein in moonlight', which was acquired by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 2005. 

From 1902 onwards, Mondriaan almost completely abandoned figural subjects in favour of landscapes. The region of Het Gein near Abcoude was one of his favourite subjects. It was near Amsterdam, where the artist lived, so easy to reach either by train or bicycle. The windmill, which was located in a bend of the river Gein, recurs more often in the work of the artist. In the catalogue raisonné three oil paintings from ca. 1902-1903 are recorded, to which the recently acquired painting of the Rijksmuseum can be added as a fourth one.

As Robert Welsh describes in the catalogue raisonné, Mondriaan's landcapes of 1902-1903 'often display a high degree of personal innovation within the traditions upon which they still depend and within the explorations of surface design which increasingly is becoming the hallmark of Mondrian's approach to composition' (Catalogue Raisonné of the Naturalistic Works  until early 1911, Bussum 1998, 265). The present lot is an excellent example of this.

This important drawing was discovered recently in an estate of an artist who was acquainted with Mondriaan during the early years of his artistic career. It comes with a statement of authenticity by Mr. Joop M. Joosten, dated Leiden 14 May 2007. Mr. Joosten confirms that the present lot is a study for the painting in the Rijksmuseum.