The A to Z of Isms.
Minimalism.
For some people, minimalism
just means not owning any stuff,
it's a lifestyle choice.
It means owning few possessions,
living in largely empty space,
and even eating minimalist food.
No chips for the minimalists.
They own shiny white tablets,
shop at little grey stores,
and don’t have enough
black plastic chairs.
For some,
it's to do with architecture,
and for others,
it’s a musical movement.
In fact, minimalism is a philosophy
with roots and branches
in many places.
The word minimalism
first turns up in 1965,
in an article by British philosopher,
Richard Wollheim,
who wrote about artists
with minimal art content.
This negative description
was turned into a positive
by minimalist artists.
They saw minimalism
as a kind of pure art.
To quote the minimalist painter
Frank Stella,
This isn't art that copies something
real - a person's face, a nice horse,
or tries to depict a feeling.
A minimalist art object is itself,
and nothing else.
All minimalism is,
in part, a reaction.
In the case
of minimalist architecture,
it’s a reaction to decoration,
to ornament, and to fuss.
Minimalist buildings are simple,
and minimalist architects
like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe,
and Maya Lin create structures
full of light and space.
Their work can be summed up in
Van der Rohe's famous statement that,
"Less is more."
Minimalist gurus, like Marie Kondo,
believe in decluttering, but say,
"It's not about knowing what to throw
out, it's knowing what to keep."
A lot of minimalism
can appear harsh and inhuman,
the exception is minimalistic music.
Pioneered by composers
like Philip Glass,
minimalist music features repetition,
simple patterns, and phase shifting-
the movement of a repeating item
to create an arresting effect.
Despite the often austere simplicity
of the music, or because of it,
many minimalistic pieces of music
are profoundly moving
and deeply emotional.
Minimalism is, in part,
a reaction to the increasingly
busy and loud world around us.
Artists and consumers alike
have reacted against the clutter
and chaos of life and art,
and created many disparate forms
of minimalism.
Sometimes minimalism
can seem confusing,
as in Carl Andre's
famous brick sculpture.
Sometimes it can be stark, like a
Mise van der Rohe office block.
But sometimes, as in the field
of minimalist music,
minimalism can be beautiful.
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