Minimalism.

Minimalism
• A reaction to abstract expressionism
and a bridge to post-minimal art
practices.

• Notable artists:

• Ad Reinhardt
• Nassos Daphnis
• Tony Smith
• Donald Judd
• John McCracken
• Agnes Martin
“Untitled” (1973) – Donald Judd
The 1960s saw the emergence of minimalism,
which is still widely used today.

Both movements "challenged the existing

structures for making, disseminating and
viewing art", according to Tate.

Simple, abstract aesthetic invites viewers to

react to what they see rather than
what they think they should see.

Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt, and Dan Flavin are

some key Minimalist artists.
• Minimalism emerged as a reaction to Abstract
Expressionism in the 1960s.

• Minimalist artists were composed of simple lines and

forms.

• Sculptors made up a large portion of the most

notable Minimalist artists.

• All elements of expression, biography, complex

subjects, and social agendas are removed.

• Viewers are left to interpret works for what they are -

a purified form of beauty and truth.

“Night” (1962) – Tony Smith

 Mono-ha

Many have argued that Minimalism has its roots in Asia

with many Western artists such as Agnes Martin taking
on influences of Zen Buddhism in their practice.

Mono-ha - the first internationally recognized

contemporary art movement from Japan, was one of the
biggest Minimalist movements in the region.

Midway through the 60s, Tokyo saw the birth of Mono-

ha, a groundbreaking art
movement also known as "School of Things".
 Minimalist Artists

Frank Stella

- a painter, sculptor, and printmaker, is regarded as one

of the most important contemporary American artists.

- revolutionized artistic practices relation to both

minimalism and abstraction (striped works and large-
scale prints).

- 'Die Fahne Hoch!’ (1959) - is one a work within a

larger series of black paintings by Stella.
Minimalist Artists "Untitled (mirrored cubes), 1965”

Robert Morris

- using plywood boxes as stage props, he created

"Untitled (mirrored cubes)."

- viewers are forced to look in the mirror as

they move around these boxes.

- it has been said to "invade" a gallery space,

expanding the meaning of art beyond the visual
due to its nature.
Minimalist Artists

Agnes Martin
- known for the grid work in her paintings that
blend together Minimalism and Colour Field.

- her pastel bands of blue peach and yellow

continued to highlight how art was exclusive of
the corrupt outside world, as she reduced her the
sizes of her canvases.

“With My Back To The World, 1997”

 Minimalist Artists
Ellsworth Kelly
- served in the Second World War; has used his
observations of the natural world and of
architectural forms to develop his practice in
novel ways.

- Red Yellow Blue II, the largest out of the works

Kelly made during his tune in Paris; one of his
finest and most influential works on canvas.
“Red, Yellow, Blue II, 1953”
Minimalist Artists
Sol LeWitt “Wall Drawing #340,
1975”
- over the course of his 40-year career, Sol LeWitt
produced 1,350 wall drawings.

- his works were explorations into architecture

and art, as they took on the forms of
respective spaces.
- although LeWitt passed away in 2007, his works
live on as a result of his artistic ethos.

“Wall Drawing #1138,

2004”
 Minimalist Artists
Judy Chicago
- created for her first solo show at the Rolf Nelson Gallery in Los Angeles in 1966.

- reconstructed in 2004 as the original 'Rainbow Pickett' was destroyed by Chicago due
to storage costs.

- established herself as a pioneering Minimal and Feminist artist.

“Rainbow Pickett, 1965”

Minimalist Artists

Dan Flavin
- his work is composed of fluorescent light and metal
fixtures.
- Flavin's light works wash walls with colors and go
beyond the space they inhabit.
- goes beyond their sculptural entity to bathe visitors
in warm and artificial
glows, creating experiences around them.

“Untitled (in honor of Harold Joachim) 3,

1977”
Minimalist Artists
Eva Hesse
- a German-born American sculptor who's best-known
for her pioneering work in latex, fiberglass, and plastic.

- one of the artists who ushered in the post-minimal art

movements in the 1960s.

- 'Untitled (Rope Piece)' - made in 1970 as Hesse was

dying, and was finished with the help of her friends.

- this work was made with latex over rope, string, and
wire, it mimics a tangled drawing in space.
Minimalist Artists
Donald Judd
- strongly disavows his association with Minimalism, yet is
known as one of its founding fathers.

- abandoned his practice as a painter or sculptor in the

1960s; later, he discovered a personal rejection of
European artistic values.

- his works were shown at the landmark 1966 exhibition

"Primary Structures" at the Jewish Museum in New York,
alongside those of Ellsworth Kelly, Judy Chicago, Sol
LeWitt, and Dan Flavin.

“Untitled, 1980”
Minimalist Artists
Donald Judd
- Untitled (1980) - this work offers viewers two opposing
experiences by utilizing two different materials, aluminum
and Plexiglass:

- Opaque intrusive forms from the side

- Obscure depths of space from the front

“Untitled, 1980”
Thank you for
listening.