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Making its debut in the early 1960's, Minimalism is a form of art, different from anything we have studied this semester. Just as it indicates in its name, Minimalism is art in its minimum form. Minimalist art rejects abstract expression, emotion, and symbolism. The material objects used in Minimalist art don't lead to illusions, or have hidden meanings. It isn't supposed to make you think, it simply is what it is. A black canvas is just a black canvas, and a stack of wooden bricks is just a stack of wooden bricks. Ultimately, Minimalism is an unadorned, geometric art form that caught the attention of the world.

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The Case for Minimalism (video) | Khan Academy

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You've probably seen a few cubes sitting in an art gallery and questioned why they were there. How could cubes be important? How did we get here? This is the case for Minimalism. Subscribe for new episodes of The Art Assignment every Thursday!

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During this time period art came in many shapes and sizes. Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and home architecture were popular during the years leading up to the boom in Minimalist art. Artist were falling away from traditional art forms, as perfect forms and figures had not been the trend for years. Although he was not a Minimalist artist, Marcel Duchamp helped pave the way for Minimalist ideas. Readymades were popular with Minimalists, thanks to Duchamp. Mark Rothko's works of color also influenced Minimalism through their simplicity.  Extravagant art with hidden symbolism and illusions was for times of past, and Minimalists wanted to change that.
(https://www.theartstory.org/movement/minimalism/history-and-concepts/#nav)

Mark Rothko, No. 13, 1958

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Frank Stella: "What you see is what you see"

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Frank Stella: "What you see is what you see"

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Stella was born in May of 1963 in Massachusetts. He graduated from Princeton University and moved to New York around the age of 22. Throughout his life, he has created both paintings and sculptures. (http://www.artnet.com/artists/frank-stella/)

Stella's work is free from illusions, meaning, and expression, leaving his art to be simple geometric forms. Without any symbolic meaning in his art,
Stella would say "what you see is what you see." Those words, and his work, have made a big impact on Minimalism art.
(https://www.artsy.net/artist/frank-stella)

In 1970, Stella became the youngest artist to have a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Here he displayed pieces he worked on starting in the 1950's, leading up to 1970. He is still the youngest artist to have this type of exhibit displayed at the museum today! (https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1945?)

Frank Stella, Die Fahne Hoch!, 1959

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Once a blue collar worker, Carl Andre became an artist and helped define minimalism with his sculptures made of wood, brick, and other industrialized materials.
Andre's sculptures were straight forward and involved no carving or modeling, only placing and arranging. (https://www.theartstory.org/artist/andre-carl/)

Andre's piece, Lever, quickly became controversial. It was industrial, and not aesthetically pleasing. Instead of being viewed from a distance, you can see it from any point in the room, even by standing on top of it. Since art was not to be touched, many people had a difficult time understanding and accepting Andre's work. With his simple sculpture designs, he was able to put the blocks together on site, which was unique for the not so simple world. (https://smarthistory.org/carl-andre-lever/)

Carl Andre, Lever, 1966

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Throughout his music career György Ligeti worked with many different composers on various types of music. This Avant Garde composing style led him to try what other composers had not.

Ligeti started to play the piano at age 14, but since he was Jewish living under Nazi rule,  he wasn't allowed to attend a University to study music. Instead he studied with various composers, but this portion of his studies came to an end when he was arrested and sent to a labor camp, where he lived for over a year. The rest of his family was held at Auschwitz, where only his mother survived. When Ligeti was released he turned back to composing music.
(https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gy%c3%b6rgy-ligeti-mn0001319058/biography)

Ligeti's style of composing encompassed a variety of different styles and sounds. He creatively worked with electronic music, keyboards, orchestra, and opera.  Ligeti liked the American sounds of minimalism, and incorporated them into his works. Instead of highlighting individual instruments and sounds, his music often sounded like "a cloud of sounds."
(https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2012/aug/27/gyorgy-ligeti-contemporary-music-guide)

His compositions can be somewhat disturbing, and are featured in "A Space Odyssey" and "The Shining".

Ligeti, Lontano, 1967

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Donald Judd was a Minimalist artist who started his career as an art critique and painter. In the early 1960's he shifted gears and moved towards Minimalist sculpture. Just like other Minimalist's of his time, Judd used industrial materials to make his sculptures, and was very particular in how they were placed. Nothing he used was manmade, and he often used plastics, aluminum, or concrete in his works. Instead of calling himself a sculptor, he referred to himself as a "Maker of Specific Objects." (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Donald-Judd)

Throughout his life, Judd created many different Minimalist pieces, including the one pictured below. This particular sculpture, can be seen at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. This is just one piece from a whole collection, which consists of sculptures attached to the wall in this same manner, but created with different colors and materials based on the year each individual piece was created.

Sadly, Judd's life was cut short when his battle with lymphoma came to an end at the age of 65. During his life he made a huge impact on the art world and in individual artist's lives. He created many studio spaces and art installations in New York City, where he would display his, and others, work. Him and his wife, Julie Finch, fought to preserve their real estate, ensuring that him and other artists could continue to create and display their work right where they were. (https://juddfoundation.org/artist/biography/)

Donald Judd, Untitled, 1967

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Dan Flavin: Fluorescent Light Meets Minimalism

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Dan Flavin: Fluorescent Light Meets Minimalism

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Although he started out as an Abstract Expressionist painter, Dan Flavin eventually found his way into the world of Minimalism. Instead of sculpting and painting like other artist around him, he used fluorescent light. Flavin was inspired by Marcel Duchamp's readymades, and realized that something as simple as a lightbulb could be used to create art in many different ways.  He would use lightbulbs to illuminate a room with dark colors, and even used neon lights for a perfect glow. Flavin liked how the light created space in the room his work was presented in. His use of unique and limited materials was defining for Minimalist art. (https://www.thoughtco.com/minimalism-or-minimal-art-art-history-183317)

Dan Flavin, Untitled (In Honor of Leo at the 30th Anniversary of his Gallery), 1987