«Culinary minimalism #Retominimalism» by felixbernet is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Minimalism is a very popular trend today, known for being based on the reduction to the essential, in the less is more. Although it is a whole philosophy of life, it has its origins in art and architecture.
It was the British philosopher Richard Wollheim in 1965 who first used the term minimalism to refer to the paintings of the artist Ad Reinhardt, as well as other works of similar characteristics, where the important thing was the intellectual concept rather than the elaboration of the work, which used to be of low manufacture.
Minimalism, as an artistic movement that emerged in 1960, uses minimal elements such as geometric shapes, pure colors, natural fabrics … in order to convey a concept based on the simple and essential, rather than on materiality.
This movement strips us of superficial layers to focus on what is really important. Its origin is due to a reaction to the prevailing artistic currents at the time, such as realists and pop art, which were abusively predominant in most galleries and museums.
With minimalism the artists tried to intellectually stimulate the viewer, who also participated in the work as an active part of it.
But not only painting was influenced by this original artistic trend. Also sculpture, design, architecture and even music were notably influenced.
Today, minimalism has become a philosophy of life. Minimalists are those who practice the asceticism, that is, the reduction of their belongings to the essentials, being able to focus on what is truly important to live happily. This allows to increase concentration, face current consumerism, take care of the environment and have a higher level of relaxation, due to the minimal presence of constant visual stimuli.
And you, what do you think of this unique philosophy?