The artwork consists of a large open box with sides made of copper and the base made of aluminium enamelled in cadmium red, which is reflected in the interior faces of the box.
These ideas are well exemplified in the work of Donald Judd “ Untitled” (1972). The artwork is reduced to the minimum possible number of shapes, textures, colours and lines. The aesthetics of Minimalist art reflect the artists’ intent: purified forms of beauty representing qualities such as harmony, simplicity, truth and honesty, in the sense of not pretending to be anything other than what it is. Minimalist artists were opposed to the definition of an artwork as the unique representation of a genial and gifted individual this idea was perceived as a distraction from the artwork itself. Thus, the medium or even the material from which the work of art is made, together with the form, is the reality. The object of art existed in itself, in its purity and beauty. Minimalist artists profoundly rejected expressing any emotions or feelings in their artworks along with incorporating metaphors as well as suggestions of the artist’s biography.
The idea that artists not only did not represent an outside reality, but also did not attempt to convey any meanings through their works, was truly ground-breaking at the time. Both movements challenged the elitist and misplaced attribution of importance to an art object as well as the traditional structures for making and viewing art.īut, what is Minimalism? And which are its main characteristics? What is Minimalism? Its aims and characteristicsįrank Stella, one of the best-known Minimalist painters, famously explained his paintings: “ What you see is what you see”. The development of Minimalism is closely linked to the flourishing of another art movement: Conceptual Art( What do we mean by using the word "Conceptual" in Art?). Installation view of “Primary Structures,” 1966. It included the works of Sol LeWitt, Robert Morris, Dan Flavin, and Carl Andre, who presented naked materials alongside geometric, formally reductive works of art. The Primary Structures Exhibition at the Jewish Museum, New York, in 1966 was particularly important for establishing the movement. From the beginning of 1960s, Minimalism rose to prominence thanks to a combination of different factors including an increasing interest of the art market and museum curators publications and lastly, a new patronage system (both private and governmental). Many artists dropped paintings and sculpture altogether in favour of objects, questioning the conventional boundaries of what can be considered an artwork. They were inspired by the freshened ideas coming from European movements such as the Dutch De Stijl or the German Bauhaus, which were not only far beyond the traditional attitude towards painting and sculpture, but also very distant from Abstract Expressionism’s influence: Surrealism.
In stark opposition to this movement, by late 1950s a group of young artists like Robert Morris, Donald Judd and Dan Flavin were gradually drifting away towards new definitions of visual arts. It was characterised by loose, gestural and spontaneous works a strong emotional and “dramatic” content and a profound biographical component in each artwork. In the 1940s and 1950s, Abstract Expressionism was the dominant art movement in the US. They firmly rejected the over-dramaticity and over expressivity of Abstract Expressionism, favouring the purity, beauty and anonymity of the art object itself. The movement is born in reaction to forms of artistic expression that Minimalist artists considered too academic and stale. Minimalist artists do not express feelings nor experiences, they rather focus on highlighting the purity and true essence of the material or of the medium to develop the art itself. The material, the medium, the form of the artwork is the reality there is no other intent. These words by Robert Morris describe well the essence of Minimalism. “No to transcendence and spiritual values, heroic scale, anguished decisions, historicizing narrative, valuable artifact, intelligent structure, interesting visual experience”. What's minimal about Minimal Art? - The art of the Century in 26 powerful movements Related articles: Another tribute to minimal art. - Donald Judd. Clear geometric shapes, simplicity and a deliberate lack of expressive content characterise Minimalist artworks. Minimalism is an influential art movement that emerged in the US in the 1960s.
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