Composition XXI (1923)

This page presents "Composition XXI" (1923), created by Theo van Doesburg. Historical background, 1923: The first decades of the twentieth century were a period of rapid experiment, with Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, and the first abstract painting appearing within a few years of each other. Dada and Surrealism followed the First World War, the Bauhaus school was founded in 1919, and Art Deco became the fashionable decorative style of the 1920s and 1930s. Abstract, a short history: Movements of later decades, including Abstract Expressionism and geometric abstraction, carried non-representational ideas into new scales and materials. It emerged in the early twentieth century, when several artists in Europe and Russia developed non-representational painting during the 1910s. It is listed in the Abstract collection. The image is in portrait orientation.

On onlly.art "Composition XXI" is sold as a digital download (Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI). The files are delivered by email after payment, so nothing is shipped: you print locally, choosing the paper, size, and frame yourself. A portrait format suits narrow wall spaces, hallways, and the area beside a door or window. Before printing, compare the proportions of the file with your frame so that nothing important is cropped. Matte and fine-art papers reduce glare in bright rooms, while glossy papers give stronger contrast and deeper blacks. Choosing a standard frame size and printing to fit it often saves the cost of custom framing. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size.

Dutch, 1883–1931

If you like the visual language of Theo van Doesburg, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.