Minimalism

:This article is about minimalism in art and design. For the computer term see Computing minimalism and for the linguistic meaning of "Minimalism" see Transformational grammar.

Minimalism in visual art

A minimalist painting, for example, will typically use a limited number of colors, and have a simple geometric design. Minimalist sculpture on the other hand is greatly focused on the materials (see David Smith and Donald Judd). While many believe minimalism to be a movement specific to geometric representations, it extends far outside this constraint.

Related Topics:
Painting - Color - David Smith - Donald Judd

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There were three notable phases of the minimalist movement:

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First the distillation of the forms wherein the greatest contributors were probably the Russian Constructivists and the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi. The Russian Constructivists proclaiming the distillation was in order to create a universal language of art which the masses were meant to understand. It may have also supported the rapid industrialization planned for the massive country. Brâncuşi's work was much more of a search for the purity of the form and thus paved the way for the abstractions that were to come, such as minimalism.

Related Topics:
Russian Constructivists - Constantin Brâncuşi - Industrialization

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The second (and most notable) phase in the movement came with artists including Carl Andre, Anne Truitt, Dan Flavin, Sol LeWitt, Frank Stella, Donald Judd, Ad Reinhart and Robert Smithson. Many other artists made important contributions to this artistic movement; however, these artists seem to exemplify the movement in very different areas.

Related Topics:
Carl Andre - Anne Truitt - Dan Flavin - Sol LeWitt - Frank Stella - Donald Judd - Ad Reinhart - Robert Smithson

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Also notable are the post-minimalists, including Martin Puryear, Tyrone Mirchell, Melvin Edwards and Joel Shapiro. The keystone of post-minimalism is the often distinct references to objects without direct representation. This has become a predominant trend in modern sculpture.

Related Topics:
Martin Puryear - Tyrone Mirchell - Melvin Edwards - Joel Shapiro

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