The clear light of Zeeland drew several leading painters to Domburg in the early twentieth century, among them Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), who took a crucial step in his artistic development here.
His summers in Domburg
Between 1908 and 1916, Mondrian returned every summer for a few weeks to the same seaside village.
Why here of all places: in a letter to the Rotterdam violinist Aletta de Iongh, he wrote: "I believe that if you are alone in nature, you can immerse yourself in it most intimately."
Where he stayed: first at Het Schuttershof on Herenstraat 2, later repeatedly at Pension Wisse on Ooststraat, the forerunner of today's Hotel By Juuls. Later still he lodged at Zuidstraat 10.
A turning point in his work: in Domburg he began rendering colours as he himself experienced them, rather than as they appeared in reality. In his paintings of the church tower, the colours diverge markedly from reality, most likely a result of Zeeland's distinctive light.
From form to rhythm: in terms of line he stayed closer to reality, working from a drawing of the tower he had made himself. By simplifying the planes and tightening the colours, the image took on a monumental quality. In a later series he abandoned any recognisable form altogether, retaining only the rhythm of the tower and of the lighthouse at Westkapelle.
The great majority of these works no longer hang in Zeeland, but in a single museum.
The largest collection in the world: the Kunstmuseum Den Haag holds the most extensive Mondrian collection anywhere, from his early figurative work to his later abstract compositions.
How the collection came about: collector Salomon B. Slijper laid its foundations from 1950 onwards together with Louis Wijsenbeek, the museum's director from 1950 to 1976.
Spread across several museums: a few works from his Domburg period hang elsewhere, including the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, the Zeeuws Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Piet Mondrian route through Domburg
Six places in and around the village that Mondrian himself painted or that are linked to his time here.
Distance and surface: a short route running mostly along paved paths, also suitable with a wheelchair or pushchair.
Combine with the museum: the Marie Tak van Poortvliet Museum lies on the route and devotes an exhibition twice a year to artists with a connection to Zeeland.
Best time to go: go on a clear day, as from the Hoge Hil you can then see both the Westkapelle lighthouse and the Belgian coast, exactly the view that drew painters here.
Protestant Church; around 1250 Mondrian painted this church several times, and its tower recurs throughout his work, from a recognisable silhouette to pure rhythm.
Hoge Hil This dune top still draws poets and painters. On a sunny day you can clearly see the Westkapelle lighthouse and the Belgian coast.
Mondrian bench; 1989
This bench links present and past. Remains of a Nehalennia temple were already found near Domburg in 1647; the native goddess Nehalennia, often depicted with a dog at her feet and a bowl of apples in her lap, was probably regarded in Roman times as a protector of shipping and trade. In 1940 artist Guido Metsers painted the bench in Mondrian's red-blue-yellow-black, giving shape to the old custom of the "gossip bench", where the day's news was discussed. The plaque reads: "Dit is geen bank van conversatie. Eer een Gerecht in meditatie." (This is no bench for conversation, more a court for meditation.)
De Manteling Mondrian captured this wood, with its twisting branches, on several occasions, including in Red tree.
