Minimalist Artist
Minimalism, also labeled as ‘ABC Art’, ‘Rejective Art’, ‘Literalism’, is a style of art emerged in 1960s postwar America as a reaction against Abstract Expressionism. Minimal art is generally abstract-looking, three-dimensional and geometric in form, monochromatic in colour palettes, emphasizing simplicity as a whole. It influences extend throughout fashion, architecture, theatre and even music. Minimalism could be regarded as one of the most influential art style in the second-half of the twentieth century as “it substantially changed what art could look like, how it could be made and what it could be made from (Batchelor, 1997, p.7).” Comparatively, Cristobal Balenciaga could be considered as the innovator of contemporary fashion with his notion of fashion – “An architect for design, a sculpture for shape, a painter for colour, a musician for harmony and a philosopher for temperance.” This essay is going to investigate the works of the key minimalist artists, simultaneously analyzing the similarities and differences between the minimalist sculptors from 1965 to 1975 and the recent collections of Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere.
Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Sol Le Witt and Robert Morris were considered as the main artists that brought about the existence of the Minimal Art, ironically they never acknowledged themselves with the designation of the term ‘Minimal Art’ (Batchelor, 1997, p. 6). To a certain extent, the sculptural works executed by these artists were in distinct directions and forms; yet, at the meantime, they shared various common elements.
Carl Andre’s work was characterized by repetition of elements, simple and unadorned form and the use of common everyday items. He employed forms of rectangle and square such as house bricks, steel tiles or woods as materials and manipulated them to create a new form of art. Andre’s sculpture always teemed with flexibility as he believed that by expanding or reducing an individual element, a new
Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Sol Le Witt and Robert Morris were considered as the main artists that brought about the existence of the Minimal Art, ironically they never acknowledged themselves with the designation of the term ‘Minimal Art’ (Batchelor, 1997, p. 6). To a certain extent, the sculptural works executed by these artists were in distinct directions and forms; yet, at the meantime, they shared various common elements.
Carl Andre’s work was characterized by repetition of elements, simple and unadorned form and the use of common everyday items. He employed forms of rectangle and square such as house bricks, steel tiles or woods as materials and manipulated them to create a new form of art. Andre’s sculpture always teemed with flexibility as he believed that by expanding or reducing an individual element, a new
Bibliography: Batchelor, D. (1997). Minimalism. London: Tate Gallery Publishing. http://www.style.com/fashionshows/collections/F2008RTW/complete/thumb/BALENCIA Moore, B. (2008, March 16). The Futurist. Los Angeles Times, p. 6-7 Williams, D. (1998). From caves to canvas: an introduction to Western art (2nd ed.). Sydney: McGraw-Hill.