Minimalist art is an avant-garde movement characterized by its simplicity and focus on essential elements. The concept of “less is more” is at the heart of this artistic style, which emerged in the mid-20th century. In this article, we will explore the icons that shaped the minimalist movement, the broad influence it has had on modern visual culture, and its expansion beyond traditional artistic mediums.
Why art seems more beautiful when you can see yourself in it
is a commissioning editor at Psyche. He was previously a senior editor at Psychology Today.
What makes a work of visual art beautiful? Researchers in aesthetics have identified various physical characteristics – such as symmetry and visual complexity – that seem to affect people’s preferences, but they don’t explain everything. And while some pieces of art are admired much more widely than others, people’s taste in artworks is hugely variable (seemingly more so than their preferences for particular natural scenes or human faces). Given the idiosyncrasy of artistic taste, researchers have been looking for what else might account for how much beauty you or I perceive in a work of art.
A recent set of studies in the journal Psychological Science suggests that a more personal factor – specifically, how much a piece of art seems to relate, in one way or another, to you – can contribute greatly to its aesthetic power. Amid the vivid colours of your favourite Impressionist landscape, the bold strokes of a beloved Japanese ink painting, or the twisted forms of an entrancing abstract piece, there may be qualities of art that you especially like because they somehow speak to your memories, identity or other elements of your life.
Edward A Vessel, a computational cognitive neuroscientist at the City College of New York, and his colleagues showed people (a small group of German participants in one study, and a couple of hundred English-speakers in another) pictures of paintings that spanned different styles, genres and periods. The participants looked at each image for a moment and then rated it. For instance, in one study they rated each painting based on how ‘beautiful, compelling, or powerful’ they found it and how much it moved them. Participants then rated the self-relevance of each artwork, ‘based on how much you think the depicted artwork relates to you, your interests and hobbies, your personality, to places or people you know, or to events in your personal life.’
The participants varied a lot in how they rated the different paintings. But, on the whole, the more they rated a piece of art as being personally relevant to them, the higher they tended to rate its aesthetic impact. What’s more, self-relevance seemed to account for the differences in how participants responded to the images more than a long list of various image features did, such as complexity and ‘naturalness’. Overall, the results suggest that self-relevance matters for how people respond to visual art.
Was it possible that the volunteers simply rated the art pieces they most liked as also being more relevant to them? The team conducted a third study that addressed that concern, one which involved using AI to create artwork that was made specifically to be relevant to each participant.
The more potential art has to inform central parts of your worldview, the more you’re likely to be moved by it
The participants first shared personal details about themselves, such as where they grew up, places they had travelled to, social groups, favourite things (eg, books, food, animals) and style of dress. The team fed this information into a machine-learning algorithm to generate individually tailored images that looked like human-made works of art, but which also reflected aspects of each participant’s life, such as a landscape-style painting of a city that the participant had visited.
Participants rated the artworks that were generated to be relevant to them as more aesthetically appealing, on average, than other synthetic art pieces, including ones that were based on details from other people’s lives and which were comparable in terms of their physical characteristics. So, self-relevance was again associated with a greater aesthetic response – and these results using AI showed more convincingly than the preliminary studies that the former was driving the latter, rather than vice versa.
Why might art that is relevant to your life experience or sense of self seem more powerful or beautiful than the piece hanging next to it? The researchers think it might have to do with the human tendency to enjoy making sense of the world. ‘I often think about aesthetics as tapping into a process which I would call “pleasure from understanding”,’ Vessel says. The basic idea, he explains, is that ‘you can get hedonic pleasure from engaging in sensemaking, and kind of having “aha” moments, and from understanding the world around you better.’
Vessel gives this example: if you learn that a doorknob in your house turns left instead of right, that matters much less to your understanding of the world than learning that your sibling was actually adopted. The latter is much more relevant to your sense of self and far more compelling. Something similar may be true for art: the more it relates to you, and the more potential it has to inform central parts of your view of the world, the more you’re likely to be moved by it.
Of course, a feature of many great artworks is their ability to bring you into contact with someone or something apart from yourself. A painting might offer you a glimpse of a faraway time or place, acquaint you with someone you could never meet in real life, or let you behold nature through a radically different lens. The idea that many of us favour art that speaks to our sense of self might seem to be at odds with that outward-looking quality. But is it?
Perhaps self-relevance helps – at least some of the time – to form a bridge to that other world that an art lover seeks to access. While tolerance for the unfamiliar can vary from person to person, ‘for most of us, if something is presented in a way where we can immediately map it on to some aspect of our own experience, then we can get much deeper much quicker,’ Vessel suggests. For all that might seem foreign about a shadowy Renaissance scene or a cubist portrait, there may be something in it that chimes with your experience and, in doing so, offers a foothold. It could mean that ‘you’re able to attend to a feature that you can make sense of,’ Vessel says. ‘Otherwise, you might not even pay attention to it. You might just walk right by it.’
Icons Who Shaped the Movement
As minimalist artists like LeWitt and Judd challenged established notions about art, they paved the way for minimalism to extend beyond the gallery walls. Their emphasis on simplicity, functionality, and living with less began to influence wider cultural and lifestyle trends. Minimalist interior design and architecture started gaining popularity, focusing on clean lines, open spaces, and eliminating clutter. For many, minimalism became not just an artistic style but a holistic approach to living intentionally. The minimalist lifestyle movement promotes focusing on experiences over possessions, keeping only useful essentials, and cultivating mindfulness. While starting in the art world, minimalism evolved beyond paintings and sculptures to shape how people think about living meaningfully with less.
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LeWitt
One of the key figures in minimalist art is Sol LeWitt. His works, often consisting of basic geometric shapes and lines, epitomize the movement’s emphasis on the fundamental elements of art. LeWitt’s exploration of spatial relationships and his use of repetition helped establish minimalist art as a significant departure from the complexity of previous art movements.
LeWitt’s artistic journey began in the 1960s when he started creating wall drawings. These drawings were executed directly on the walls of galleries and exhibition spaces, blurring the lines between traditional painting and installation art. LeWitt’s wall drawings were meticulously planned, but their execution was often left to others, emphasizing the idea that the concept behind the artwork was more important than the artist’s hand.
As LeWitt’s career progressed, he expanded his artistic practice to include sculptures and structures. His sculptures were often modular, consisting of repeated geometric forms that could be arranged in various configurations. This approach allowed for endless possibilities and encouraged viewer interaction. LeWitt’s sculptures were not meant to be static objects but rather dynamic experiences that changed depending on the viewer’s perspective.
Judd
Another significant contributor to minimalist art is Donald Judd. His sculptures, characterized by their clean lines and industrial materials, challenged conventional notions of what art could be. Judd’s minimalist approach focused on the intrinsic qualities of the materials themselves, highlighting their inherent beauty and simplicity.
Judd’s sculptures often took the form of boxes or stacks, made from materials such as plywood, aluminum, and plexiglass. These simple forms allowed Judd to explore the relationship between space, object, and viewer. By removing any unnecessary ornamentation, Judd emphasized the purity of the materials and their interaction with the surrounding environment.
One of Judd’s most famous works is his installation at Marfa, Texas. In this remote desert town, Judd created a series of large-scale outdoor sculptures that interact with the vast landscape. These sculptures, made from concrete and steel, blend seamlessly with the desert surroundings, blurring the boundaries between art and nature. Judd’s installation in Marfa has become a pilgrimage site for art enthusiasts from around the world, attracting visitors who seek to experience the transformative power of minimalist art in a unique setting.
The Influence Reach
Minimalism Beyond Canvas
While minimalist art originated in painting and sculpture, its influence quickly spread to other mediums. It found expression in architecture, design, photography, and even performance art. In architecture, minimalist principles can be seen in the clean lines, open spaces, and simplicity of forms.
Architects who embraced minimalism sought to create spaces that were not cluttered with unnecessary ornamentation. Instead, they focused on the essential elements of a structure, allowing the materials and forms to speak for themselves. This approach resulted in buildings that exuded a sense of calm and tranquility, inviting occupants to experience a harmonious environment.
Designers also wholeheartedly embraced minimalist concepts, favoring clean, functional aesthetics with an emphasis on negative space. By eliminating superfluous elements, they aimed to create designs that were visually pleasing and highly efficient. The use of simple geometric shapes, such as squares and rectangles, became a hallmark of minimalist design, reflecting the desire for clarity and order.
Minimalism’s influence extended beyond the realm of visual arts and made its way into the world of photography. Photographers began capturing the beauty in everyday objects through precise composition and lighting. By stripping away distractions and focusing on the essential elements, they were able to create images that were both striking and thought-provoking.
Minimalist photography often relied on a limited color palette, with black and white being a popular choice. This allowed the viewer to focus on the shapes, textures, and patterns within the frame, emphasizing the inherent beauty of the subject matter. The use of negative space played a crucial role in minimalist photography, creating a sense of balance and harmony.
Performance art also embraced minimalist principles, challenging traditional notions of what constituted a performance. Artists sought to create experiences that were stripped down to their essence, often using their bodies as the primary medium. By removing unnecessary elements and focusing on the raw emotions and physicality of the human form, they aimed to create a direct and powerful connection with the audience.
Minimalism’s influence reach went far beyond the canvas, permeating various artistic disciplines and pushing boundaries. Its emphasis on simplicity, clarity, and essentiality continues to inspire artists and designers to this day, proving that sometimes less truly is more.
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Impact on Modern Visual Culture
Digital and Virtual Spaces
Minimalism’s impact on modern visual culture can be observed in the realm of digital and virtual spaces. The principles of simplicity and reduction have influenced user interface design, where clean and intuitive interfaces prioritize functionality and user experience.
One example of minimalism’s influence on user interface design is the concept of flat design. Flat design is characterized by the absence of three-dimensional elements, such as gradients and drop shadows, and the use of simple shapes and bold colors. This minimalist approach to interface design not only creates a visually appealing aesthetic but also enhances usability by reducing visual distractions and focusing on essential elements.
Furthermore, minimalism has played a significant role in shaping website design. Simple layouts, ample white space, and streamlined navigation have become staples of modern web design. These minimalist elements not only enhance the visual appeal of websites but also improve user experience by making it easier for visitors to navigate and find the information they need.
In addition to user interface and website design, minimalist aesthetics have also found their way into the realm of virtual reality. In immersive environments, minimalist concepts are applied to create visually uncluttered and focused experiences. By reducing visual noise and distractions, minimalist virtual reality environments allow users to fully immerse themselves in essential experiences, enhancing the overall impact and engagement.
It is worth noting that minimalism’s influence on digital and virtual spaces goes beyond aesthetics. The principles of simplicity and reduction also align with the current trend of minimalistic lifestyles and the desire for decluttered and simplified experiences. In a world saturated with information and distractions, minimalism offers a sense of calm and focus, allowing individuals to prioritize what truly matters.
In conclusion, minimalist art, often referred to as the art of subtracting, has had a profound impact on art and design in the modern era. Icons such as Sol LeWitt and Donald Judd helped shape this movement through their exploration of simplicity, spatial relationships, and the intrinsic qualities of materials. From its origins in painting and sculpture, minimalist art has transcended traditional boundaries and influenced a wide range of artistic and design practices. In today’s digital age, its influence can be seen in user interface design, website aesthetics, and virtual reality experiences. The power of minimalism lies in its ability to evoke meaning through reduction, reminding us that less can truly be more.
