Row of eight young willows reflected in the water

This 1904 painting of a row of young willows reflected in still water belongs to Mondrian's most systematically developed motif series of his early career. By depicting the same subject from different vantage points and distances across multiple paintings, Mondrian was developing a sensitivity to the structural possibilities of the motif that would gradually push him toward abstraction. The multiplication of reflected vertical forms in the water surface offers a visual doubling that already hints at the mirror symmetries of his later work. The Kunstmuseum Den Haag holds the core of this willow series.

Eight willow trunks and their water reflections create a disciplined vertical rhythm across the canvas. Mondrian applies paint in confident, textured strokes. The horizontal band of water serves as a reflective register, the reflected trees rendered with slightly loosened, shimmering brushwork that distinguishes them from the solid forms above.