Composition II in red, blue and yellow, 1930. (Detail) Piet Mondrian, 1872-1944 Mondrian was searching for an aesthetic of universality, something abstract that was more truthful than reality itself. Through blocks of primary colour, he explored balanced composition; but how does one balance the impact of a large red square? Yet there is still harmony in the work, and this harmony is the essence of Mondrian's visual philosophy.