Mondrian by Nicholas Fox Weber
Is an extremely detailed biography of the artist Piet Mondrian. It seems to be aimed at an academic audience, and may seem a bit tedious to the casual art enthusiast. I was disappointed by the lack of pictures in this book. When I read a book about an artist, I enjoy seeing his work in addition to learning about his life.

This book was clearly well-researched and is very informative.

Thank you to Knopf for providing me an advance copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Following is the review I posted on Goodreads:

I have been a fan of Piet Mondrian's art ever since seeing some of his amazing work at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam 10 years ago. I was so impressed at how he first painted windmills and landscapes, especially trees, in Monet's Impressionistic fashion, but he later was influenced by Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh. I just found it fascinating how his work gradually incorporated more Cubism, Pointillism and modernism, focusing on more abstract and linear techniques. His abstract/modernist view was to show the underlying basis of basic things, later developing into the famous lines and primary color palettes for which is he most famous. Mondrian also was a prolific writer and very witty. Like me, I think he was an outgoing introvert (yes, I know that may seem like an oxymoron). Rene Magritte is my favorite artist, but I definitely appreciate Mondrian's style.

"Mondrian: His Life, His Art, and the Quest of the Absolute," is a very thorough and detailed biography, from his childhood all the way to his move to New York City, where he finally found his greatest success. I think Nicholas Fox Weber did excellent research and made thoughtful observations. This paragraph, in particular, I think really summed up Mondrian's outlook:

"Mondrian's life, more than most people's, was based on repetition with variation: in his painting, his writing, the place he lived, the meals he ate. The underlying constant was his rock-solid foundation of appreciation for what he had."

The reason I only gave four stars to Weber's book is because it reads more like a textbook than a biography aimed at a mass audience. Since I received an ARC of the book, perhaps that is the intention. I don't know. My favorite section was the last part of the book, in which Mondrian's benefactor and friend, Harry Holtzman, helped Mondrian move to the U.S., paid for his room and board and helped him eventually get U.S. citizenship. Interestingly, Holtzman, also an artist, had a similar style to Mondrian's -- perhaps that was from Mondrian's influence?

Weber's book has few photos, and none of the artist's work -- I would have liked photos of some of his paintings included (perhaps because of copyright infringement?), especially to show context alongside the text. The book had over 10,000 pages on my Kindle app, so yes, it was a large amount of copy to read. Most of the book was interesting, but I think the reader must have an appreciation for the artist and his work -- or at least be interested in learning about him -- to fully enjoy it.

Thanks to Knopf Books and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC to review this book.