Mondrian lived in Winterswijk for most of his childhood. The family moved to the village in Gelderland province from Amersfoort in 1880 so his father could take up the post of headmaster at the school for Christian national education.
In Winterswijk, supervised by his father, his uncle and an acquaintance, Piet Mondrian prepared for the state drawing teachers’ exam. But he wasn’t really that interested in teaching – he wanted to become an independent artist.
Unfortunately, little is known about Mondrian’s earliest work from Winterswijk. None of the many practice sketches he must have made as a teenager were saved. A few paintings and detailed drawings have survived, however, and they show his growing skill at making still lifes, landscapes and portraits.
More than his talent, it was Mondrian’s dedication that stood out and bore fruit. He passed the state drawing teachers’ exam and left for Amsterdam in 1892 at the age of 20 to study art at the Rijksacademie.
His parents remained in Winterswijk until 1901, and Mondrian often went back to visit them. On his trips he drew and painted local sights, such as Lappenbrink and the Jacobskerk, and went out into the countryside to paint and draw landscapes, barns and farmhouses.