New York City (version 1)

This vibrant grid of yellow, red, and blue lines against a white background shows Mondrian pushing his famous geometric style in a bold new direction. Created after he moved to New York City in 1940, fleeing World War II, the painting captures the energy and rhythm of Manhattan's streets through interlocking bands of color. Unlike his earlier, more static compositions with black lines, here the colored strips seem to pulse and dance, reflecting the jazz music and bustling city life that so excited him during his final years.

Mondrian was already in his late sixties when he arrived in America, but New York reinvigorated his work completely. The painting's syncopated rhythms and bright yellows evoke the city's yellow taxis, neon signs, and the boogie-woogie music he loved to dance to in nightclubs. You can almost feel the grid as a map of city blocks, with the heavier lines suggesting avenues and the lighter ones the cross streets. It's a joyful piece from an artist who spent decades refining his vision down to the most essential elements, only to discover that there was still room for playfulness and movement within his strict geometric rules.