Piet Mondrian, a Dutch painter who influenced the development of abstract art, frequently used molen or mill structure in his early works depicting landscapes. At first, Mondrian employed impressionist techniques and was also influenced by Fauvism and pointillism styles. One of his early paintings with this motif is The Windmill in Sunlight (1908). This oil on canvas painting represents a post-impressionist and fauvist approach characterized by intense colors, vivid brushwork, and thick impasto.
The Windmill in Sunlight is an excellent example of how Mondrian played with the theme of light and color to create depth and texture on the canvas. The painting features a mill structure reaching towards the top of the canvas as its prominent element. The mill contrasts with a yellow sky that suggests either an early morning or evening atmosphere portrayed through darkened colors below it. Currently housed at Gemeentemuseum den Haag in The Hague, Netherlands.
As part of his artistic development, Piet Mondrian’s style evolved from being luministic to divisionist phases towards neoplastic expressions where primary colored squares intersecting horizontal and vertical lines are recognizable features. Although not comparable stylistically to Picasso’s famous Guernica painting created for political reasons grounded on powerful anti-war messages’ value contrasted against events during Spanish Civil War; Still, it serves as an excellent example of how artists can use their creativity to relay messages without words.
