How did Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque influence Piet Mondrian?

In 1911, Piet Mondrian encountered the early Cubist works of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, an experience that profoundly influenced his artistic direction and prompted his 1912 move to Paris.1

Mondrian adapted the precepts of Cubism to his own work, adopting their limited colour palette of ochre, brown, and gray to emphasize form over decorative detail. He also utilized the Cubist compositional scheme, which employed geometric divisions and often focused on a central area of the canvas.1

However, Mondrian’s engagement with these artists served as a catalyst for him to push beyond the boundaries of traditional Cubism. While the Cubists broke objects into component parts, Mondrian sought to reduce forms to a general formula. He eventually rejected the Cubist use of curved lines and diagonal accents in favor of strictly vertical and horizontal lines. This evolution moved his work away from depicting individual objects toward the total abstraction that would eventually define his neoplasticism style.12