A heavy Bible opened to Paul’s letter to the Romans, is the centre piece of this semi-circular oil painting by the twelve- year-old Piet. All kinds of symbols are painted around it: the winged hour-glass for Time, the scythe for Death, the Torch of Diligence, the doves for Honesty, the branch of Victory and the flame for Love.
Mondriaan’s father helped him with the symbols, but the painting was done by the young Piet on the occasion of the silver anniversary of the school for National Protestant Primary Education in Winterswijk. It is called Thine Word is the Truth, and it just fitted above the entrance doors of the school building.
In the minutes of the Board of Governors dated the first of February 1884, the decorations are said to consist among other things of ‘an allegorical painting by master Piet Mondriaan’. The headmaster is never referred to by his first name in the minutes, so obviously the reference here is to his son. Thine Word is the Truth is evidently painted by Piet, whereas his father only made drawings and school plates.
The concept of this painting was definitely his father’s though, because the same symbols are presented in the plate Revolution or Gospel that can be seen on the left page. The young Mondriaan grew up in this strictly protestant environment and learned these Christian values at his parents’ knees.
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