The journal not only featured the latest developments in avant-garde Dutch art and design but also the work of the Russian Constructivists, the Dadaists and the Italian Futurists. The publication called for a purification of art and design through the adoption of a universal language of abstracted cubism or, as Piet Mondrian described it, Neo-Plasticism. De Stijl members believed that the search for honesty and beauty would ultimately bring harmony and enlightenment to humanity. Theo van Doesburg, who was editor-in-chief of the magazine, tirelessly promoted the De Stijl message on his numerous trips to Belgium, France, Italy and Germany. In 1921, he established contacts with staff at the Staatliches Bauhaus in Weimar, and a year later gave a De Stijl course of lectures in Weimar. Theo van Doesburg also developed links with Constructivists, such as El Lissitzky and László Moholy-Nagy.

The De Stijl movement not only influenced developments in the fine arts, its members also designed extremely influential furniture, interiors, textiles, graphics and architecture. Gerrit Rietveld's revolutionary Red/Blue chair of 1918--1823, which in its design encapsulated the philosophy of the De Stijl Movement, was exhibited at the Staatliche Bauhaus in 1923 and inspired Marcel Breuer's later tubular metal B3 Wassily chair of 1925--1927. Like Rietveld's Red/Blue chair, De Stijl architecture and interior designs were characterized by the use of strong geometric forms and coloured block-like elements that delineated space. Partitions were used to divide internal areas, while utilitarian furnishings were kept to an absolute minimum. The strong lines incorporated in these interiors produced a dynamism, while a sense of lightness was achieved through the purging of ornament. This dematerialist approach to design was highly influential to the development of the Modern Movement, as was De Stijl's use of geometric formalism.

Although the De Stijl group was never formally organized, its output was highly distinctive and shared a common visual language -- that of geometric abstraction. The application of this new vocabulary of form and colour blurred the traditional distinctions between the fine and decorative arts, but sadly the group's intention of bringing a greater universality to the arts was never fully realized. The De Stijl movement's vision of Utopia was inspired by the vitality of the modern city, while its utilitarian approach to the design of objects for use was influenced by Dutch Puritanism. Though sharing many of the ideas propounded by Russian Constructivism, such as spatial dynamism, De Stijl is generally acknowledged as the first modern design movement, because it heralded a new aesthetic purity. The De Stijl magazine was published until Theo van Doesburg's death in 1931, after which the movement gradually lost its focus and was unable to maintain its former momentum.

Schroeder House Interior Drawing

Gerrit Rietveld 1924