As humanity evolves, new forms of artistic expression emerge and stand out, such as minimalist art Minimalist artists value a simple and direct composition in their artworks, provoking quick reactions from the observers. To better understand how this phenomenon happens, let's get to know some principles of this movement and 10 well-known minimalist artists!

What is minimalist art?

Minimalist art has as its main characteristic the use of few elements and/or resources in its composition Therefore, the artists use few colors or geometric shapes to create their works, and the elements used can be repeated frequently, resulting in simple works of art with great artistic impact.

The minimalist movement appeared and gained popularity among American artists in the 1960's. These minimalist artists created cultural manifestos to spread their foundations in design, visual arts, and music. So, since then and until today, art that uses the minimum of resources is very popular and valued in the artistic world.

For example, designers have simplified the logos of the TV station Globo, the Netflix platform, or the Carrefour chain. Thus, besides creating a direct image of these products, minimalist designers deliver a quick message to those who observe these creations. In this context, everything is related to the format and choice of colors they use.

A bit of history

The minimalist art trend occurs in the early 1960s in New York influenced by the abstractionism of Willem De Kooning and Jackson Pollock. American artists were experiencing diverse cultural movements and simultaneous contact with various artistic expressions. Soon, artists were celebrating a pop mix that influenced their work.

Minimalist art gained prominence in this setting because it was not exuberant, although it was still impressive. Minimalism results from abstract art reminiscent of the works of Jasper Johns, Ad Reinhardt, and Frank Stella. In addition to emphasizing elemental and geometric forms, the artists did not overdo the metaphorical meanings .

Thus, minimalist arts induce artists to create works focused on the physical reality of the observer In this way, observers appreciate an art form that is more material and less emotional or ideological. Besides neutrality, minimalist objects are more informal and accessible for people to connect with.

The '60s: The Minimalist Decade

R. Wollheim helped minimalist art gain popularity among the visual arts in 1966. According to Wollheim, the 1960s created many productions with minimal content without ignoring other artistic trends.

Ronald Bladen, Donald Judd, and Tony Smith are some of the artists who updated the art production with geometric and abstract works. In the 1960's Donald Judd explored regularities and intentionally organized patterns, while Tony Smith mixed techniques in his art pieces. Sometimes they were whole pieces and sometimes they were cut-out and geometric pieces.

Trends and evolutions

According to historians, throughout the 20th century three trends emerged that are considered minimalist: constructivism, modernism, and the Russian avant-garde. Constructivist artists sought to make art accessible to all people through formal experimentation Constructivist artists were intent on creating a universal and lasting artistic language.

With artists such as Donald Judd, Frank Stella, Robert Smithson, and Sol LeWitt minimalist art would move beyond its basic structure. Thus, these artists experimented with both two- and three-dimensional structural aesthetics in their productions.

Principles of Minimalist Art

In short, minimalist artists reduce their works to an essential form, both in shape and color. Moreover, the creators of minimalist art manage to unite simplicity, abstraction, and sophistication in their works. As a result, we can enjoy works with basic elements, but with a great deal of sophistication.

The most frequent minimalist art principles are:

Few resources

In the elaboration of the works, artists use few elements and resources for creation. Thus, paintings, music, sculptures, and even theater plays are made with few elements.

Basic Colors

Only a few colors are used to define the final artwork.

Independent elements

In minimalist art, the elements that make it up do not meet, but are independent of each other. In other words, colors do not intersect or geometric shapes do not cover each other.

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Repetition

In the case of minimalist music, for example, musical creation is done with few notes. In this way, sound repetition stands out, and creativity is highly valued by musicians.

Geometry

Minimalist visual artists often use simple, repeated geometric shapes. In addition, the finish of these works is precise, highlighting the simple geometric shapes that the artist used.

Minimalism in artwork in practice

Minimalist art has greatly influenced the work of designers and artists, for example in industrial design, visual programming, and architecture. As a result, the simplest objects have become examples of sophistication for many people.

Besides the design, the minimalist music developed by La Monte Young has gained fame for being sung with two notes. In turn, writers have started to save words when writing. Therefore, minimalist writers do not use adverbs and develop contexts to explain meanings without using so many words.

Minimalist Artworks and Artists

Minimalist art is very appreciated by people and has influenced the artistic creation of many artists. For example, the Brazilians Ana Maria Tavares and Carlos Fajardo, both of whom followed a more "alternative" minimalism. Besides them, we also have the works of Fábio Miguez, Cássio Michalany, and Carlito Carvalhosa, who are more faithful to the minimalist roots.

Between plays, music, literature, and other art forms, we have listed 10 of the greatest minimalist artists:

1 - Agnés Martin, Canadian artist specialized in minimalist painting

2 - Dan Flavin, American artist specializing in fine arts

3 - Frank Stellaa, American fine arts artist

4 - Philip Glass, American composer of minimalist music

5 - Raymond Clevie Carver, American minimalist writer

6 - Robert Bresson, French minimalist filmmaker

7 - Robert Mangold, American artist of minimalist painting

8 - Samuel Beckett, Irish playwright and writer of minimalism

9 - Sol LeWitt, American artist

10 - Steve Reich, American minimalist composer

Final thoughts on minimalist art

With minimalist art, several artists understood how to make art with few resources Thus, simplicity helped many artistic producers to create remarkable works marked by originality. The phenomenon of the 60's is still present today, and influences famous brands in redefining their design.

Moreover, this type of art proves how people's artistic creation can overcome great limits. After all, minimalist artists always imagine how to develop something new using very little and discovering many possibilities. So knowledge, strategy, and imagination can transform anyone's life.

That is why after you understand more about minimalist art With the help of the course you can develop your inner capabilities and positively improve your life. Contact our team and see how small changes in your routine cause big changes in your dreams.