by Tom Gurney
Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on September 29, 2026
Email: tomgurney1@gmail.com / Phone: +44 7429 011000
About the painting
A church tower and a thin crescent moon rise above the roofs of Winterswijk. In the near ground, farm work, haystacks and a cow connect the town to its surrounding fields. This early picture is commonly dated 1898–99; a research essay held by RKD states that Mondrian made a View of Winterswijk in 1898. A secure catalogue number for the exact web reproduction has not been established here.[1]
At a glance
- ArtistPiet Mondrian (1872–1944)
- TitleView of Winterswijk
- Datec. 1898–99; RKD-held essay places a View of Winterswijk in 1898
- SubjectWinterswijk church, village and farmland
- Medium and collectionNot securely confirmed for this exact reproduction
- Identification noteDo not conflate with separately catalogued church studies A57–A61 or Farm scene A62
Mondrian across periods
Contents
- A town seen from the fields
- The early date and context
- Why the image matters
- Reading the distance carefully
A town seen from the fields
The painting joins several spatial zones: a figure bends near stacked hay at the left, a cow occupies the right foreground, water or low ground separates them from the village, and the church spire anchors the distant roofs. A pale crescent floats beside a bright cloud. Those elements make the view about the relationship between work, landscape and town, rather than an isolated portrait of the church.
 The Red Tree Piet Mondrian.jpg)
The church is commonly identified as the Jacobskerk. Villa Mondriaan, based in Mondrian's former family home, documents his repeated depictions of Winterswijk's churches and explains that the specific church name used for one related gouache has caused confusion. This page therefore uses the broader subject “View of Winterswijk” and avoids treating every church view as one object.[2]
The early date and context
A research essay available in RKD's digital library says Mondrian made View of Winterswijk in 1898 and spent summers with his parents there. The catalogue groups a sequence of church and farm scenes in the 1897–99 Winterswijk period. That supports the broad early date and subject, but its public index does not directly prove which A-number belongs to the image on this page. A62, for example, is titled Farm scene with the Saint Jacob's church, yet that title alone is insufficient to assign it to this reproduction.[1][3]
Watch: Piet Mondrian
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Watch on YouTubeWhy the image matters
Long before the severe grids, Mondrian used horizon, vertical accent and contrasting bands of colour to organise a scene. Here the church is a strong vertical at a distance, whereas the cow and haystacks make the lower band busy and near. The moon and light cloud lift the eye back to the sky. These observations concern the visible composition; they do not imply that the early landscape was a deliberate blueprint for his later abstraction.
The existing image is retained. Specific support, dimensions and holding location often repeated by reproduction sites have not been promoted to facts without a collecting museum or a matched catalogue record.
Reading the distance carefully
The foreground does more than frame the village. A person, haystacks and cow give the near field a rhythm of work and animal movement, while the church tower fixes a much more distant point. Low ground between them keeps the two zones apart. The crescent moon and bright cloud pull attention above the roofline. One can therefore move through the image in stages: from the immediate farm activity, across the intervening space, to the town and finally the sky.
Those observations can be made from the retained reproduction without assigning it an unverified catalogue number. RKD's Winterswijk section confirms Mondrian's sustained interest in local churches and farms, but its short index does not securely match this precise combination of figures, cow and moon to a single object entry. Villa Mondriaan's account also cautions that church names in related works have been confused. Until an exact collection record is matched to the image, medium, measurements and present owner should remain open.[2][3]
That limit does not make the page empty. It establishes what can be responsibly said about an early Mondrian view: the place, a broad period supported by research, and the visible compositional relationships. It also gives readers a clear reason to treat more precise claims found on unsourced reproduction sites cautiously.
Mondrian artworks directory
Frequently asked questions
When did Mondrian make View of Winterswijk?
An RKD-held research essay states 1898; the image is often broadly dated 1898–99.[1]
Which church is pictured?
The Winterswijk church spire is usually discussed in relation to the Jacobskerk, but related church studies need separate identification.[1]
What is its RKD number?
A secure number for this exact reproduction has not yet been established; the article does not assign one by title alone.[1]
Discussion
How does the church organise the horizon?
Reader Insights
What happens between the cow and the distant village?
Which details suggest a time of day?
Which details suggest a time of day?
Join the Conversation
Share what you notice in this painting below.
References
- RKD Digital Library, Mondrian’s Passions essay, View of Winterswijk made in 1898. View source.
- Villa Mondriaan, Research on Mondrian and the Jacobskerk in Winterswijk. View source.
- RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History, Winterswijk 1897–99 object index. View source.
- Lead image credit. Piet Mondrian, View of Winterswijk, c. 1898–99; exact catalogue number, medium and holder unverified for this reproduction.
