De Stijl
A Dutch art movement using only primary colors, black, white, and geometric shapes. Pure abstraction through horizontal and vertical lines.
Live Demo
Interactive De Stijl Demo
Origins & History
De Stijl (Dutch for 'The Style') was founded in 1917 in the Netherlands by Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian. The movement sought universal harmony through the reduction of form and color to their essential elements.
The philosophy emphasized pure abstraction using only horizontal and vertical lines, primary colors (red, blue, yellow), and neutral tones (black, white, gray). This vocabulary was applied to painting, architecture, and design.
De Stijl profoundly influenced Bauhaus and modernist design. Its geometric purity translates naturally to CSS Grid layouts and remains a touchstone for minimalist digital interfaces seeking bold, structured compositions.
Key Characteristics
- Only primary colors plus black and white
- Strictly horizontal and vertical lines
- Asymmetric balance
- No curves or diagonals
- Geometric abstraction
- Universal visual language
Why This Demo Is Authentic
This implementation faithfully recreates the De Stijl through careful attention to typography, grid systems, color usage, and compositional principles documented in the original movement. Every design decision is grounded in historical research.
Style Guide
Archivo Black
Secondary: Work Sans
De Stijl typography uses geometric sans-serifs with strong vertical and horizontal emphasis. Text is...
Strict rectilinear grid with primary color blocks