The Code of Universalism in Culture: Neoplasticism by Piet Mondrian as a Visual Philosophy of the Modern Age

The article investigates Piet Mondrian's Neoplasticism as a visual philosophy of modernity and analyzes its influence on the formation of a universal artistic language that remains relevant in contemporary visual design practices. The object of the study is Neoplasticism as an integral cultural project of the modern era. The subject of the study is the specificity of Mondrian's artistic language and the mechanisms of adaptation of its principles in architecture, design, and digital interfaces of the 20th–21st centuries. It is shown that Mondrian's artistic system, combining rational calculation with a utopian striving for universal harmony, formed a stable visual code. This code, based on the balance of simplest elements, proved to be an effective tool for organizing visual space far beyond painting. Special attention is paid to comparing Mondrian's approach with other directions of abstract art – Malevich's Suprematism and Kandinsky's expressive abstraction. The work applies a systemic approach, allowing to consider Neoplasticism as an integral phenomenon uniting philosophical foundations, artistic method, and socio-cultural influence. The methodology includes a comparative analysis of works by Mondrian, Malevich, and Kandinsky. The method of interpreting visual forms in a philosophical and cultural context reveals the significance of Neoplasticism's formal elements as symbols of universal categories. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the application of an integrative approach that combines art-historical analysis of the formal elements of Neoplasticism with cultural-philosophical understanding of its socio-transformational potential. Unlike existing studies focusing primarily on artistic aspects, this approach reveals the mechanisms of translation of Mondrian's visual code across different historical epochs – from the theosophical origins of the early 20th century to modern digital design practices. The results and conclusions of the study demonstrate that the principles of Neoplasticism remain relevant in contemporary visual practices, especially: in modular systems in web design (adaptive Material Design grid); in principles of visual hierarchy in UI/UX design; in spatial organization in contemporary architecture and exhibition design. The conducted analysis confirms that the cultural code of Neoplasticism continues to function as an effective tool for organizing the visual environment, offering a model for harmonious information structuring in conditions of digital overload.

Neoplasticism, Piet Mondrian, universalism, cultural code, modernism, abstract art, visual philosophy, De Stijl, geometric abstraction, dynamic equilibrium