How did neoplasticism aim to express harmony in the universe?

Neoplasticism, a movement founded by Piet Mondrian and others, aimed to express universal harmony by rejecting the depiction of casual, arbitrary, or momentary visual reality. Instead of representing nature, Mondrian sought to render a "true vision of reality" by deriving compositions from abstract rules of geometry and color.12

To achieve this, he restricted his pictorial language to the most fundamental elements: straight horizontal and vertical lines, primary colors, and the neutrals of black, white, and gray. By organizing these elements into grids, he used color as a form of counterbalance to the lines, creating a "plastic expression" that functioned independently of the external, recognizable world.23

This pursuit was deeply rooted in Mondrian’s theosophical beliefs and his desire to guide humanity toward a Utopia of clarity and force. By moving beyond personal temperament and individual perception, he believed art could substitute a new, harmonious view of life for the chaotic facts of everyday appearance.12