Minimalism paintings are an example of modern art. They are relevant in any season, regardless of what the fashion dictates. This artistic movement appeared in New York, but quickly won the hearts of creators around the world. What is the peculiarity of this direction? What do connoisseurs and admirers of this type of creativity find in such works? We will try to answer these questions in our article.
The definition of minimalism
The term itself appeared in the 60s of the twentieth century, as a designation of a small branch of postmodernism. As the name implies, the style of the paintings is characterized by simplicity. This is expressed in straightforward forms. Most often, the artist uses ordinary geometric shapes.
In addition, in oil paintings in the style of minimalism there is multiple repeatability. It can be strokes, highlights or shapes. Many authors use monochrome (one or two colors). These are not always black and white drawings. Sometimes one color with different shades is taken. In such a gamut the picture is executed. Some artists like to divide the canvas into color segments, such as heaven and earth.
In general, minimalists try to convey as accurately as possible the essence of the object, its symbolic meaning. In this case, the sign and secondary images are cut off completely or depicted as schematically as possible.
Painters
Today there are a lot of creators who create amazing things. As in any art, there are those whose names are known throughout the world.
Frank Stella is one of the first artists of the genre. Already in 1959, he began to create a series called "Black Pictures". As the name implies, dark lines prevailed on the canvases. The creation of such paintings by Frank was inspired by the work of Kazimir Malevich. His black squares and other geometric shapes (among which there is a red circle) inspired many artists to create such masterpieces.
In the heyday of minimalism, many artists began to depict convex parts on canvases, thus improving the idea.
Carl Andre was no exception. His work is unique in its own way. He was one of the first to decide on the creation of paintings through installation. Andre used everything he could find in the vicinity of Massachusetts. So, one of the works was made of industrial materials in a three-dimensional zone using negative space. Andre tried to put geometric objects into the basis of his work: squares, lines, angles, diagrams and the like. Until now, when contemplating the creations of this great minimalist, there is a feeling that the boundaries of the physical presence are blurred.
It is also worth noting such great artists as Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Robert Morris and Tony Smith.
History of creation
Before you understand the feature of this direction, you need to trace where it comes from. Most artists-theorists are inclined to believe that Kazimir Malevich, as well as Marcel Duchamp, originated the basis of the flow in his books. After that, a clear distinction between cubism and minimalism was laid in the works of Frank Stell. After these masters, a wave of new artists appeared.
In paintings in the style of minimalism, as a rule, depict the exact forms and symbols of the subject. But at the same time, artists do not spend much time creating parts. Colors can have hard transitions, and the palette consists of only 2 shades. Cold white balance allows you to add mystery to the picture.
Knowing the history of the origin of the trend, it is not surprising that the paintings in the style of minimalism were harshly criticized by art historians and theater-goers. Despite this, the current is developing and is in great demand.
Neo-minimalism
Neo-geometric conceptualism arose only at the end of the 20th century, so this trend can be called completely new. Canvases of this direction have even greater geometricity (in contrast to paintings in the style of minimalism). Many art historians are still arguing over which branch of the era is neo-minimalism. So, one can hear statements that the flow is formed from pop art or even Suprematism, which was founded by Kazimir Malevich.
Fashionable paintings for the interior in the style of minimalism, which many famous people choose for their home, for the most part, are an example of neo-geo.
Modern artists who belong to this direction: Katarina Burgess, Paul Kuhn and Christopher Willard.
Postminimalism
Although the direction itself is already beyond the scope, this branch practices even greater extremes. So, in post-minimalist paintings, it is difficult to find a storyline or just an object. More often the artist tries to draw a state of mind, weather phenomena or something else that cannot be expressed in another artistic direction.
The highest value of artists is to convey an intellectual idea. In post-minimalism, everything changes, and the form of transmission comes first. Paintings in the style of minimalism, photos of which are posted in our article, are painted by such famous artists as Tom Friedman, Eva Hesse and Anisha Kapoor.
Create your canvas
Painting, like all art as a whole, is a very individual concept. Someone likes Salvador Dali, and someone admires the paintings of Ivan Shishkin. The same can be said about the genre of minimalism. A distinctive feature of this direction is that almost any person can create a picture in the style of minimalism with their own hands.
If a person does not have any makings of an artist, then you can take a two-week course. It is worth carefully considering what will be depicted in the picture.
A great option would be a canvas in the form of a continuation of the wall. In this case, in the center, you can depict what will attract the eye, and make the background blurry. The main thing is not to overload the picture with unnecessary details and compositional solutions. Minimalism is simple. A handmade picture will be unique.
In addition, a sculpture can be included in the interior, but this must be done very carefully. If there is a small apartment with a typical layout, then putting the installation under the ceiling is ridiculous. In this case, a vase or a stand in the style of minimalism will look great.