Exploring Mondrian Compositions in Three-Dimensional Space

The dogmatic nature of Piet Mondrian’s neoplasticism manifesto initiated a discourse about translating aesthetic ideals from paintings to 3D structures. Mondrian rarely ventured into architectural design, and his unique interior design of “Salon de Madame B … à Dresden” was not executed. The authors discuss physical constraints and perceptual factors that conflict with neoplastic ideals. Using physical and virtual models of the salon, the authors demonstrate challenges with perspective projections and show how such distortions could be minimized in a cylinder. The paradoxical percept elicited by a “reverspective” Mondrian-like space further highlights the essential role of perceptual processes in reaching neoplastic standards of beauty.