History of painting group's theories. Next to van Doesburg, the group's principal members were the painters Piet Mondrian, Vilmos Huszár, and Bart van der Leck, and the architects Gerrit Rietveld, Robert van 't Hoff, and J. J. P. Oud. The artistic philosophy that formed a basis for the group's work is known as "neoplasticism" — the new plastic art (or "Nieuwe Beelding" in Dutch). Proponents of De Stijl sought to express a new utopian ideal of spiritual harmony and order. They advocated pure abstraction and universality by a reduction to the essentials of form and colour; they simplified visual compositions to the vertical
Hugo van der Velden University. He's currently teaching at the Universiteit van Amsterdam. His first book, "The Donor's Image: Gerard Loyet and the Votive Images of Charles the Bold", was published by Brepols in 2000. His forthcoming book, "Van Eyck in Holland", deals with Jan van Eyck's contributions to the Turin-Milan Hours. Hugo van der Velden Hugo Tjeerd van der Velden (born 19 October 1963, in Boxmeer) is a Dutch art historian. He currently is Rijksmuseum Chair of Art History of the Middle Ages, especially in the Low Countries. A position in collaboration with Universiteit van Amsterdam. Hugo van der Velden studied art history