Minimalism, also known as ABC-art or minimal art, is a movement in contemporary art that emerged in the latter half of the twentieth century. Central to its philosophy is the rejection of subjectivity in the creative process, emphasizing simplicity and objectivity. This movement has profoundly impacted the modern art industry, reshaping perceptions of what constitutes the essence of creativity. Minimalist artists focus on the basics of form, color, and materials, stripping away the unnecessary details and personal emotions to highlight the purity of the artwork itself. Minimalism has not only influenced visual arts but has also left its mark on architecture, design, and even lifestyle, promoting a less-is-more ethos that prioritizes quality over quantity.
The birth of minimalism
The idea of establishing simplicity as the main principle of fine art can be traced in the works of artists of different eras. For example, the Italian graphic artist and painter Giorgio Morandi (1890-1964) held similar views. His workshop contained many objects of various shapes, which he depicted in his still lifes. A characteristic feature of the Italian artist’s works was the almost complete absence of “secondary features” objects (stickers, ornamental elements, inscriptions, drawings). The master worked only with pure form, devoid of everything secondary and unimportant. He redrew the same pictures many times, changing angles and dispositions. At first, his approach faced misunderstanding, but by the end of his life, his original manner of performing simple still lifes attracted the attention of art critics. Kazimir Malevich can also be considered the forerunner of minimalism. The Suprematism style invented by the artist operated with simple forms, lines and planes. Similar experiments, but with the abandonment of compositional complexity, were carried out by other masters. Unfortunately, their attempts did not receive proper conceptual justification. The creativity of Pablo Picasso also had a noticeable influence on minimalism, Giorgio Morandi and Marcel Duchamp.
The conceptual basis of the new direction began to take shape in the 60s of the twentieth century. At that time, the art community was still comprehending the place and significance of abstract expressionism in the history of fine art. Minimalism was a reaction to its excessive subjectivism. The new direction invited artists to abandon secondary images and shells created under the influence of ideology and symbolism, in order to work with the pure forms of objects, what they are in their essence. Minimalism dates its history back to 1964, when in New York at approximately the same time, works by Donald Judd, Kenneth Noland, Al-Held and other masters were presented in painting and sculpture galleries.
Artistic features of minimalism
At first, minimalism was considered a type of geometric abstraction and was not designated as a separate term. This changed in 1966 with the exhibitions Essential Structures: Younger American and British Sculpture. at the Jewish Museum and “Systemic Painting” in Solomon Guggenheim Museum in New York. The presented works demonstrated their originality, after which participants in the new movement and critics began to use the term “minimalism.”
The artistic language of minimalism is characterized by:
- simple geometric shapes;
- monochrome color scheme (mostly no more than 3 shades);
- repetition of shapes;
- laconic composition;
- geometric harmony and severity of forms;
- surfaces without relief texture.
Famous representatives of minimalism
The ideas and principles of minimalism have had a great influence on modern painting, graphics and sculpture. Works by major representatives of this movement today adorn the collections of contemporary art museums around the world.
Carl Andre
American artist and sculptor Carl Andre began experimenting with geometric shapes in the early 60s of the twentieth century. The result of these experiments was the creation of an original author's style, inspired by the ideas of minimalism. While working on the series of sculptures “Elements” Andre began using wooden blocks as an art material. True, in the early 60s he did not have enough money for wood, so most of his works existed only in the form of sketches. The repetition of elements will become one of the basic principles of Andre’s artistic language. In 1966, the master presented the work “37 Pieces of Work”. Unlike traditional sculptures, it was flat. On the pedestal, viewers could observe a mosaic of small squares made of different materials. Close to the sculpture you can feel its “volume”. and "vertical" borders. Later, the author will return to working with three-dimensional sculptures made from stone and wooden blocks. According to the artist, a visit to Stonehenge had a huge influence on his work.
Dan Flavin
Dan Flavin gained worldwide fame thanks to sculptures and installations created using fluorescent lamps. The first American artist to use electric light to illuminate his work was in 1961. A few years later he created a series of “icons” (portraits of acquaintances and ordinary people), illuminated by incandescent lamps. The successful use of light inspired the master to continue experiments with sculptural objects (barriers and corridors). In 1963, Flavin presented his first mature work, entitled Diagonal of Personal Ecstasy. (“Diagonal of Personal Ecstasy”). In purely technical terms, it was a diagonal line with lighting inside, installed on the wall. This work was later reproduced in various color variations. Another iconic work – "Monument" (1969). The sculptural object is made up of 8 lamps assembled on a vertical surface in the form of a structure.
Sol LeWitt
The American artist and sculptor Sol LeWitt considered himself a representative of minimalism and conceptualism. He even devoted a number of theoretical works to the latter direction. The “Black Square” had a huge influence on the artist. Kazimir Malevich. It became for him a “basic unit,” from which the artist later cut off corners to create new forms. To work with simple geometric shapes, Levitt used a predominantly monochrome color scheme. An idea of the style and artistic language of the master is given by three-dimensional lattices composed of squares, parallelepipeds and squares. The shape of the structure depended on the geometry of the wall at the place of its exposure. A characteristic feature of LeWitt's work was the complete absence of narrative. One of the master’s most monumental sculptures was the “Pyramid at the End of the World,” installed in New Zealand.
Donald Judd
Donald Judd is considered one of the most influential American sculptors of the second half of the twentieth century. His work developed in the outline of the ideas of minimalism, but the master himself did not consider himself to be in this direction. His style finally took shape by the mid-60s. The most significant work of those years is considered “Stacks”. The work consists of colored blocks of the same shape, mounted on a vertical surface. The number of composition elements depended on the size of the room. The master considered the main object of his attention to be the ratio of space and the so-called. "special objects". In the 1970s, Giada began experimenting with furniture. The minimalist design of sofas, armchairs and tables with ideal proportions was later exhibited more than once in museums.
Robert Morris
In the early stages of his career, American sculptor, artist and writer Robert Morris was influenced by abstract expressionism, but after moving to New York in the early 1960s, he became inspired by the ideas of Marcel Duchamp. Already in 1963 he held the first exhibition of minimalist sculptures at the Green Gallery. In subsequent years, he focused on exploring the motives of his creativity and preparing new works. In 1971, Morris held an exhibition at Tate Gallery. Then he occupied the space of the exhibition halls with various cubes and ramps. Later, the artist began creating sculptural objects and installations in the open air. Some of them can be seen today on the streets of European cities ("Bronze Gate", Italy).
Further development of minimalism
After completing the stage of canon formation, the question arose about further ways of developing minimalism. The desire for simplicity narrowed the horizon of possible changes, so sculptors and artists, in an effort to develop the direction, began to create new trends. These include: body art, object-oriented art and partially conceptualism. A characteristic feature of the new trends that emerged on the basis of minimalism was the use of materials taboo by the canon (latex, ropes), as well as the transfer of the field of creative activity from canvases to the body, theater stage, urban (performance) and natural (land art) locations.
KyivGallery art critic