Artwork
Windmühle an der Gein
Windmühle an der Gein is an oil painting by Piet Mondrian. It dates from 1902 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.
About this work
Overview
Piet Mondrian’s 1902 oil painting *Windmühle an der Gein* portrays a Dutch riverside scene. A solitary windmill stands on the right bank of the Gein, a modest waterway near Amsterdam, while a grassy foreground and a small dock suggest a tranquil rural setting. The work belongs to the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.
Subject & Meaning
The composition records a specific landscape feature—a windmill that once guided local traffic along the Gein. By focusing on everyday architecture and natural elements, Mondrian captures a moment of quiet observation, reflecting his early interest in the Dutch countryside before his later theoretical shift toward pure abstraction.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas, the painting employs a muted palette of greens, browns, and soft blues. Mondrian’s brushwork is loose and expressive, conveying atmospheric movement in the water and foliage. The handling remains representational, emphasizing form and light rather than decorative detail.
History & Provenance
Created during Mondrian’s formative period, the piece illustrates his pre‑abstract phase. After changing hands several times in the early twentieth century, it entered the Kunsthaus Zürich’s holdings, where it is displayed as part of the museum’s representation of early modern Dutch painting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan (Dutch: ; 7 March 1872 – 1 February 1944), known after 1911 as Piet Mondrian (, US also ; Dutch: ), was a Dutch painter and art theoretician, who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.
The Windmill
Untitled
‘Sunny Day’: a windmill on a watercourse
Windmill on a pond
Waterway near the Baarsjes, Amsterdam
A Windmill on a Polder Waterway, Known as ‘In the Month of July’
Mills at Dordrecht
View of the Mill and Bridge on the Noordwest Buitensingel in The Hague
A Windmill on a Polder Waterway, Known as ‘In the Month of July’
The mill