Simple But Purposeful

When one hears the term “minimalism”, it is more possible for that person to think of the minimalist lifestyle almost immediately. Individuals that embrace the minimalistic way of living, implement the idea of owning just the possessions that add value to their lives. In order to channelize their energy, time, and space correctly, minimalists remove the unnecessary clutter with the aim of making their lives more conscious. It is not easy to declutter one’s whole life, but the first and main question to ask is “do this specific possession add value to my life?”. If the answer is no, one has to let go of the asset. As a consequence of people not giving up the unnecessary items, in the USA, there is a 2.2 billion square foot personal storage industry. As Frank Mascia, a minimalist architect, said in “Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things”, most people exist depending on the space they have got instead of creating spaces to fit their lives. 

Minimalism is an umbrella term, which in visual arts and music is prominent when the artist reveals the essence, necessity, or individuality of a subject and removes the unimportant portions. Minimalism first appeared in the late 1960s when Frank Stella painted and exhibited black paintings at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1959. Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt, Agnes Martin, and Robert Morris were the artists that interiorized the movement between the 1960s and 1970s. Minimalist art displays an extremely refined form of beauty and demonstrates the terms validity, harmony, and absence of complication. Solid squares and rectangles are prime shapes of the movement. The birth of the movement dates back to 1962 when the first English-language book about the Russian avant-garde by Camilla Gray named “The Great Experiment in Art: 1863-1922” was published. The publication mainly talked about the Russian constructivist and suprematist movements of the 1910s and 1920s, which reduced the unnecessary parts of any artwork and made use of factory production techniques.

Additionally, a group of exhibits by the name of “Primary Structures” was presented by Dan Flavin, Sol LeWitt, Robert Morris, Donald Judd, and Tony Smith. It was held at the Jewish Museum in New York in 1966, the artworks were almost naked resources with flat and glossy surfaces. One can say that the ultimate goal of minimalist artists is to leave enough room for the viewers to imagine and embrace the paintings according to their personal and intimate experiences. As Frank Stella said, “What you see is what you see”. In addition, one can see the resemblance of the minimalist ideas in art history, especially in Islamic geometric patterns and Japan’s Zen philosophy. Starting in the 9th century, artists of the Islamic countries explored the webbing lines and stars to avoid allegorical paintings that could lead to becoming objects of worship. Additionally, Japan’s Zen philosophy, influenced by Buddhism, nourishes the simplicity in every aspect of life to achieve fulfillment. Believing that clarity aids people to get a better understanding of the piece, Japanese art makes use of the negative place or “ma” which means leaving certain areas blank purposefully. 

Taking everything into consideration, minimalism has influenced countless individuals whether they are artists or ordinary people. Basically, minimalism encourages people to stop hoarding unnecessary objects and to start living meaningfully. On the other hand, the minimalistic art movement focuses on allowing the spectators to visualize the art piece with their own intentions. Dating back to the 20th century, artists focused on simplicity and harmony. From my point of view, minimalism is a concept every person on the planet should embrace and live accordingly. One of the biggest problems in the world, right now, is how much human beings consume. People tend to buy possessions without thinking its necessity, due to being influenced excessively by advertisements on daily basis. Being able to differentiate between needs and wants is a crucial skill every 21st century individual should know and practice to stop the pollution we, humans, create.