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.