Netherlands, 1917: The group of artists around Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondriaan launched a new journal, "De Stijl". They advocated full abstraction and simplification in art, use of only straight lines, rectangles and squares. Colors had to be reduced on three primary (red, blue and yellow) and three neutral (black, white and gray). I know that simplifications of forms and geometrical harmonization were theoretically based on theosophy, mysticism and oriental philosophy, but for me it is more acceptable explanation that sensible creatures like artists emotionally reacted to the chaos around them. They desperately needed some order and harmony. Very important thing was that they used a geometrical harmony without symmetry! The symmetry makes the arabesques so nice, but so decorative and boring.