Piet (er) the Haard 1914-2000
Pieter the Haard, created a body of work based in part on musical rhythms, translated into the visual arts. But his major interest was :space and infinity, which is already visible in his figurative and expressive prewar period. The Haard’s figurative work for 1940 is based on mathematical systems. In that period, he immersed himself in the artist’s style from the twenties. It is mainly the work of Theo van Doesburg that inspires him. In the pastels he made between 1942-1944 de Haard studies to depict the spatial dynamics until he finally landed in mathematics, and in particular the natural ratios and the Golden Section. This is not too surprising when one considers that he studied mathematics at the Munich Academy. The work of this “mathematical” period, which began in 1946, is the highlight of his career. His works were gradually stripped of color and compositions became simpler. The work of Pieter de Haard, permeated of geometric figures that are based on centuries-old custom systems, can serve as an example of geometric abstraction.