13.4 The Relationship Between Minimalism and Conceptual Art

Minimalism and Conceptual Art emerged in the 1960s, shaking up the art world. These movements stripped art down to its basics, focusing on simple forms, ideas, and viewer experiences. They challenged traditional notions of what art could be.

Both movements pushed boundaries, but in different ways. Minimalism emphasized physical presence and industrial materials, while Conceptual Art prioritized ideas over objects. Together, they reshaped how we think about art, paving the way for new forms of expression.

Minimalism and Its Key Concepts

Foundational Principles of Minimalism

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  Untitled, 1963, oil on wood with Plexiglas by Donald Judd | Flickr View original

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  Fracturing and Displacement of Form: Daniel Libeskind’s Early Collage Drawings (1967-1970) – SOCKS View original

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  Hagamatana II (1967) - Frank Stella (1936) | Belem, Berardo … | Flickr View original

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  Untitled, 1963, oil on wood with Plexiglas by Donald Judd | Flickr View original

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  Fracturing and Displacement of Form: Daniel Libeskind’s Early Collage Drawings (1967-1970) – SOCKS View original

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• Minimalism emerged in the 1960s as an art movement emphasizing simplicity and objectivity
• Focused on reducing artworks to their most essential features
• Rejected traditional notions of composition, balance, and depth
• Emphasized industrial materials (steel, glass, plexiglass) and geometric forms
• Artists aimed to create works devoid of emotional or symbolic content
• Objecthood referred to the physical presence and materiality of artworks
• Minimalist sculptures often occupied space as objects rather than representations

Key Figures and Exhibitions

• Donald Judd pioneered minimalist sculpture with his "specific objects"
• Judd's works featured simple, repeated geometric forms (boxes, stacks)
• Robert Morris explored the relationship between artwork, viewer, and space
• Morris's large-scale geometric forms encouraged viewers to move around them
• Primary Structures exhibition at the Jewish Museum in 1966 showcased minimalist works
• Exhibition featured artists like Donald Judd, Robert Morris, and Dan Flavin
• Helped establish minimalism as a significant art movement

Seriality and Repetition

• Seriality became a fundamental concept in minimalist art
• Involved the repetition of identical or similar forms in a single artwork
• Created visual rhythm and emphasized the artwork's physical presence
• Challenged traditional notions of composition and artistic expression
• Donald Judd's stack sculptures exemplified seriality (vertical arrangements of identical boxes)
• Carl Andre's floor sculptures used repeated units of industrial materials (metal plates, bricks)
• Seriality reflected minimalism's focus on non-hierarchical structures and industrial production

Conceptual Art and Dematerialization

Principles of Conceptual Art

• Conceptual art emerged in the late 1960s, emphasizing ideas over visual or aesthetic concerns
• Prioritized the concept or idea behind the artwork rather than its physical form
• Challenged traditional notions of art-making and the art object
• Often incorporated text, photography, and everyday objects
• Dematerialization referred to the reduction or elimination of the physical art object
• Focused on presenting ideas through language, documentation, or ephemeral actions
• Joseph Kosuth's "One and Three Chairs" (1965) exemplified conceptual approach (chair, photograph of chair, dictionary definition of chair)

Language and Text in Conceptual Art

• Language-based art became a significant aspect of conceptual practice
• Artists used text as a primary medium to convey ideas and concepts
• Explored the relationship between language, meaning, and visual representation
• Lawrence Weiner created text-based works presented as wall installations or books
• On Kawara's "Date Paintings" featured only the date of creation painted on canvas
• Text-based works challenged traditional notions of visual art and artistic skill

Influential Conceptual Artists

• Sol LeWitt developed a systematic approach to art-making based on predetermined rules
• LeWitt's wall drawings consisted of instructions for others to execute
• Joseph Kosuth explored the nature of art and language through philosophical investigations
• Kosuth's "Art as Idea as Idea" series presented dictionary definitions as artworks
• John Baldessari combined text and found images to create conceptual works
• Yoko Ono's "instruction pieces" provided written directions for imaginary or impossible actions

Related Movements and Philosophies

Process Art and Material Exploration

• Process Art emerged alongside minimalism and conceptual art in the 1960s
• Emphasized the creative process and materials over the finished product
• Artists explored the inherent properties and behaviors of materials
• Richard Serra's "Splash" pieces involved throwing molten lead against gallery walls
• Eva Hesse created sculptures using unconventional materials (latex, fiberglass, rope)
• Process Art challenged traditional notions of artistic skill and permanence
• Shared minimalism's interest in industrial materials and non-traditional art-making processes

Phenomenology and Viewer Experience

• Phenomenology, a philosophical approach, influenced minimalist and conceptual art
• Focused on the direct, lived experience of consciousness and perception
• Minimalist artists like Robert Morris explored how viewers physically encountered artworks
• Large-scale minimalist sculptures altered viewers' perception of space and their bodies
• Conceptual artists investigated the role of language and ideas in shaping perception
• James Turrell's light installations created immersive environments for viewers to experience
• Phenomenological approach emphasized the viewer's active role in creating meaning in art