Minimal and Conceptual Art Late 60s and the 70s. Minimalism The term, Minimalism, was given by...
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Transcript of Minimal and Conceptual Art Late 60s and the 70s. Minimalism The term, Minimalism, was given by...
Minimal and Conceptual ArtLate 60s and the 70s
Minimalism• The term, Minimalism, was given
by critics in attempt to explain the work.
• These artists continued to explore non-representational directions, but rejected the personal self absorption and reflection aspects.
• The works are not “visual fields to see into,” like the Abstract Expressionists, but rather an “object to be looked at.”• Some say this is Jackson Pollock’s
greatest contribution to contemporary art.
• Many of the works are 3-dimensional, but painters like Stella also sought to flatten the 2-D surface.
Minimalism• Frank Stella said of his
work that he did not intend anything by it, echoing Warhol’s philosophy. The painting on the right is not a window onto anything. This painting is a “thing.” The reflective, metallic paint has an industrial look, and it further emphasizes the surface of the work.
“The Marriage of Reason and Squalor” 1959 Stella
Minimalism• Some of the concepts were
taken from the industrial, modern look of the Bauhaus. Repetition was an important concept, as was the industrial feel, with no sign of the artist’s brush. They preferred simplified forms and honest materials, such as the red Plexiglass and polished brass in Judd’s “Untitled” from 1969.
Minimalism• Donald Judd’s stacked
boxes are like a lesson in seeing and perspective. The various shadows they cast, the even slices of space between them, the way the light filters through the red Plexiglass, the reflections of the polished brass- all give undeniable aesthetic pleasure.
Minimalism
Minimalism
Minimalism
Minimalism
Conceptual ArtConceptual artists desired to
get rid of the concept of art as object because they were opposed to the art market, much like Duchamp and the Dada “ready-mades.” Their desire to get rid of the art object was motivated by opposition to the burgeoning art market, which implicitly equated art with luxury commodities such as antique furniture of designer clothing.
Conceptual Art• Kosuth presents the
dictionary definition, a photo, and an actual chair. Which is the best representation? He shifted his art into ideas and documented them in ways that had little or no material or aesthetic value. The artist in this case did not take the photograph, build the chair or write the definition.
At a glance• Historically speaking conceptual art refers to a movement that
took place from 1966-72• Some find it refreshing• Others find it distasteful• Evoking argument and debate lies at the heart of what it is
trying to do• When viewers react strongly, they are playing right into its
hands• Artists:• Beuys, Robert Morris, Sol LeWitt, Kosuth, Richard Long, etc…
Characteristics• Limits of Art and Role of the Artists
• Attempts to distance the task of actually making the artwork and the artist
• Artwork as a process rather than a material thing
Characteristics• Artistic Material• Nothing can be ruled out as a
possible artistic media• Rejects traditional artistic
media because it locates art at the level of ideas rather than objects
Characteristics• Art as Idea• Of the mind
rather than the senses
• Process matters more than physical material
• Intellectual inquiry rather than beauty and aesthetic pleasure
Characteristics
• Semantic Representation• Semantic: of,
pertaining to, or arising from the different meanings of words or other symbols
• Representing something that cannot be seen with the naked eye
Sol LeWitt
Lawrence Wiener
Robert Barry
John Baldessari
Richard Tuttle
The Origins of Conceptualism – In Advance of the Broken Arm
Activity!!!!!• Divide the class into small groups. Each group must select
three objects from around the classroom (such as a chair, a ball, or a book) to designate as readymade works of art. Brainstorm a list of titles for these readymades. When finished, you all will present your titled readymades to the entire class, explaining why you selected these titles and whether wordplay or humor played a role.