Oostzijdse mill

Oostzijdse mill of 1903 is one of several views Mondrian made of the Oostzijdse mill at Abcoude — a windmill that became, along with Maria's Hoeve farm, one of his test subjects for systematic investigation from multiple viewpoints and in varying conditions. The Oostzijdse mill's position above the flat polder landscape made it highly visible from a distance and offered strong compositional possibilities from different approach angles. His multiple paintings of this mill constitute a proto-serialist investigation of a single motif, exploring how viewpoint and light transformed the same structure.

The mill structure is rendered with attention to its distinctive architectural form — the cylindrical tower, the rotating cap, the extended sails. Its position in the landscape gives it sculptural presence against the sky. The polder ground around it is handled with broad, horizontal strokes that emphasise the contrast between the mill's vertical mass and its flat setting.