by Tom Gurney
Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on September 28, 2026
Email: tomgurney1@gmail.com / Phone: +44 7429 011000
About the painting
A grey-haired man in a dark suit looks out from Piet Mondrian's S.J.C. van Aalst. The inherited image on this page corresponds to A632 in RKD's catalogue, dated circa 1910 and listed in a private collection. It belongs with A633, the portrait of his wife, H.H. van Aalst-Haagedoorn. Their paired identity makes the date especially important: scholar Marty Bax gives S.J.C. van Aalst's lifespan as 1806–1879 and says Mondrian used photographs for these portraits of people who had already died. This is a later likeness, not a live sitting with the sitter around 1910.[1][2]
At a glance
- ArtistPiet Mondrian (Piet Mondriaan, 1872–1944)
- Title and sitterS.J.C. van Aalst
- Catalogue numberRKD / Welsh A632
- Painting datecirca 1910
- Sitter's dates1806–1879, according to Marty Bax
- Related workH.H. van Aalst-Haagedoorn, circa 1910, A633; his wife's dates are given as 1806–1891
- CollectionPrivate collection in RKD's public catalogue
- Medium and dimensionsNot verified in the cited public records; no size is asserted[1][2]
S.J.C. van Aalst among Mondrian's portraits
Contents
- What does the portrait show?
- Who was S.J.C. van Aalst?
- Why was Mondrian painting portraits at this time?
- How does A632 relate to A633?
What does the portrait show?
The sitter is presented from the chest upward, with his body angled slightly while his gaze meets the viewer. Short grey hair, a pale face, a high white collar and a dark tie or cravat define the upper half. The black jacket occupies much of the lower picture. Behind him is a plain warm brown field. The background carries no office, books or landscape that might tell a story about his life.
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Mondrian gives the face more light than the coat. The cheeks, forehead and collar stand out against the dark clothing; the grey hair merges gently with the surrounding brown rather than forming a stark white outline. The collar is a small but effective point of contrast. It sits below the face and above the dark folded neckwear, drawing the eye upward through the centre of the painting.
The suit's lapels introduce diagonals into an otherwise upright figure. Both shoulders fill the width, making the sitter feel present and solid despite the simple setting. The limited palette helps the facial features remain the main subject. In the inherited reproduction, his expression appears composed. That observation is about the painted face; it does not prove what the sitter felt or how faithfully Mondrian followed an original photograph.
Read beside the portrait of H.H. van Aalst-Haagedoorn, the shared dark clothing and warm background suggest a visual pair. Her portrait emphasises white lace and a hair ornament; his uses a white collar and a more compact arrangement of head and jacket. Those differences help each picture function as an individual likeness while the two can be understood together.[1]
Who was S.J.C. van Aalst?
Marty Bax describes S.J.C. van Aalst (1806–1879) as a Hague banker and identifies H.H. van Aalst-Haagedoorn (1806–1891) as his wife. RKD lists their paintings consecutively, A632 and A633, both at approximately 1910. The sources reviewed here give initials for the husband rather than verified expanded given names. This page keeps that documented form and avoids assigning him a more detailed biography than the source supports.[1][2]
Because he died approximately thirty-one years before Mondrian painted A632, a direct encounter between artist and sitter was impossible. Bax says Mondrian sometimes worked from photographs and explicitly names the Van Aalst couple as an example. The portrait is therefore best understood as a posthumous painted likeness. A photograph could supply facial information, but the sources do not identify the specific photograph, the person who provided it, or the degree to which Mondrian altered it.[2]
Bax suggests a possible family connection to physician Abraham van de Velde, an acquaintance of Mondrian. Her wording is cautious, and she says the possible relationship was not further researched. It would be misleading to name Van de Velde as the commissioner or assert a verified family link on that basis. Likewise, the catalogue's private-collection listing does not establish who presently owns the work or where it is displayed.[1][2]
Watch: Piet Mondrian
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Watch on YouTubeWhy was Mondrian painting portraits at this time?
Mondrian was still making recognisable likenesses while developing other approaches to landscape, flowers and figures. RKD's A632–A639 group includes the Van Aalst pair, a portrait of Arda Ruhwandl, studies for a girl in red, and self-portrait fragments. That sequence places this conservative formal likeness within a broader practice around 1908–10, rather than treating it as a painting from an entirely separate career.[1]
Bax's research describes portrait commissions and drawing lessons as parts of Mondrian's early working life. Some portrait work drew on photographs. These facts provide context for A632, but the public record cited here does not reveal its fee, client, source image or precise making process. The paint itself offers another kind of evidence: Mondrian simplified the surroundings, used a compact colour range and gave priority to the sitter's face. The page can discuss these visible choices without pretending to reconstruct undocumented conversations about the commission.[2]
The portrait also makes a useful comparison with Mondrian's later abstraction. Here, the forms remain recognisable and the aim is a particular person's likeness. The dark coat and brown ground form large colour areas, but they should not be called an early version of a Neoplastic grid. An account of Mondrian's career is richer when it allows formal portraiture, landscape studies and experimental paintings to coexist in the same years.
How does A632 relate to A633?
The numbers A632 and A633 refer to two distinct works: the husband S.J.C. van Aalst and the wife H.H. van Aalst-Haagedoorn. RKD gives each its own entry and dates both circa 1910. Bax treats them as portraits of the married couple and notes that both were made after the sitters died. The H.H. van Aalst-Haagedoorn page covers her painting and visible details separately.[1][2]
Bax cites Sotheby's Amsterdam, 1988, lot 224 for the couple. The citation is a documentary pointer, not evidence here for a sale price, a continuous provenance or a current public display. RKD lists both works in private collections. Linking the two pages gives readers the family and photographic context while retaining the correct sitter and catalogue number for each image.[1][2]
Mondrian artworks directory
Frequently asked questions
When did Mondrian paint S.J.C. van Aalst?
RKD dates A632 to circa 1910.[1]
Did the sitter pose for Mondrian?
No live sitting around 1910 is possible on Bax's dates: S.J.C. van Aalst died in 1879. Bax says Mondrian used photographs for the Van Aalst couple's portraits.[2]
Was H.H. van Aalst-Haagedoorn his wife?
Where is the portrait now?
RKD lists A632 in a private collection; the public entry does not identify its present owner or display location.[1]
What are its medium and dimensions?
The cited public RKD entry and Bax passage do not verify those details. This page leaves them unreported instead of borrowing data from the paired portrait or another work.
Discussion
Which feature of the sitter first draws your eye?
Reader Insights
Follow the white collar toward the face. Where does your eye stop?
How does the warm brown ground change the dark jacket?
How does A632 relate to the separate portrait of his wife, A633?
Join the Conversation
Share what you notice in this painting below.
References
- RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History, digital Mondrian catalogue, “Portraits (A632–A639),” A632 and A633 titles, dates and private-collection listings. View source.
- Marty Bax, Mondrian's Passions: People, Painting, Principles, “Mondrian and his friends,” discussion around printed p. 43, on the spouses, their dates, photographic sources and 1988 Sotheby's reference; PDF hosted by RKD. View source.
- Lead image credit. Piet Mondrian, S.J.C. van Aalst, c. 1910, RKD A632. Private collection in RKD’s catalogue.
