Mondrian, Piet (1922). Composition with Blue, Black, Yellow and Red [gouche on paper]. Nationalgalerie, Berlin.

This subject is not conventional, it is built on the fundamental artistic elements of line, shape, space and color. This effectively merges subject and form, since the formal elements are the subject. The concept seems to be an analysis of what the basic components of art are. The elements seem related through thick black strokes. Pictorial binding is established through similar shapes (squares) although they vary in size, color and tone. The color scheme is simple, the subtractive primaries. The sense of space is decorative, strokes and elements seem to float above white ground. 

There are a variety of versions to this series, but generally they are all nearly symmetrically balanced. Harmony and variety are nearly proportional to each other; the use of line, space and colors have a binding effect; color and their distance from each other on the hue scale, as well as their spatial arrangement, counter this. The large, white elements seem balanced in proportion to smaller, colored elements. Elements, as the only communicative vehicle in this work, will vary by example in series. All elements are at perpendicular and straight angles (ie no curves or circles) and a single stroke weight. All shapes are geometric and rectilinear. 

Pure color and void color can be seen as in equal balance because of their treatment. Some elements with variety in their qualities (eg, size and color) provide more interesting areas for eye focus. The only movement evident is that inherent in the lines with zero variation in any of their qualities; they lead to and away from areas of pure color through fields of white. This painting is a case study in providing only enough elemental information to express a basic “point”: An absolute distillation of artistic elements to three primary colors, two terminal and opposite tones, two angles, one shape and a flat field and flat ground. 

There is no reference to scale; a straight on viewing angle is implied by the treatment of each perfect geometric shape. In the end, in my opinion, this is a strong example of nonobjective abstraction that sets up its own, albeit simple, "realm" to describe reality and uses those elements effectively. If there is a message, it is that all works, no matter how realistic optically or complicated, can be distilled to the elements shown here, except for the fact that curved and round forms are missing.