Minimalism in various mediums: Part 1

I looked at examples of Minimalism in various mediums. I picked out some artists whose work I found interesting and had a look at their process as well to see how it would relate to my work.

John McCracken

A Minimalist sculptor who creates wall pieces as well as freestanding sculptures of various geometric shapes and sizes. His pieces are made by hand using industrial materials such as plywood, sprayed lacquer, and pigmented resin. This gives his works a highly reflective, sleek finish for which he is well known (Zwirner, 2011). His signature sculptural form is the plank in monochrome colours leaning against a wall while stood on the floor. The planks embody the way he thinks of his pieces as abstract objects existing between two dimensions: The ground representing the physical world of material objects and the wall representing the spiritual world of ideas, imagination, mental space and so on (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 2013).

He is interested in how his work relates to the space and the viewer. His is especially interested in the idea that his work is something that is an object born out of a different dimension. I see his works as a pure, crystallised form of this idea.

Figure I. McCracken, J. (1989). Teton. Retrieved from http://influx.themissive.com/post/4052834472/magic

Above is Teton by John McCracken. It is my favourite example of his work because it shows his fascination with how objects relate to space and people as an abstract thing in the simplest way. The idea of different dimensions is boiled right down to this lone column. Yet it expresses the idea in a big way because of how it responds to the environment by reflecting it. Teton is made from stainless steel polished to a high degree to give it that mirrored look (Zwirner, 2011). It is in a forested area where it reflects its surroundings making it almost invisible. It is only seen as a strange distortion in space. That is interesting to me because it makes the viewer look twice and really think about their surroundings. For example, what is seen and unseen in a particular place. If I stumbled upon something like this I would be on the lookout to see if there were more around. On the other hand though, I think if there were any more columns it would be too much. One column here is more effective because it’s almost like it’s a glitch in reality rather than something planned and set out in a certain way. If something looks weird or out of place it would make you think about why it’s there and what it means even if it is almost invisible.

Painting:

Ellsworth Kelly

A painter and sculptor famed for multi-panelled pieces featuring saturated colour and precise geometric shapes. Edges in paintings are sharp and precise, suggesting seriousness in creating perfection of form. In Kelly’s work he wants the viewer to have an instinctive, physical response towards the features of the painting itself rather than a response to the painting as a representation of an idea (Gershman, 2013).

This is interesting because with McCracken, his works represent an idea of a different dimension. However, Kelly’s works are meant to be seen and accepted as artworks for what they actually are rather than what they represent. They are independent from context and interpretation. I like the idea of seeing something, an artwork, as what it is here and I think this is where the beauty of simplicity lies in Kelly’s work. For me it brings a feeling of peace and freedom. These feelings I have for Kelly’s work are most evident when I see his botanical drawings.

Figure II. Ellsworth, K. (1961). Briar. Retrieved from http://www.gardendesign.com/ideas/art-botany-ellsworth-kellys-plant-drawings

His drawings of plants have simple strokes, muted colours and reduction of details leaving the contours of the plant. He sees these drawings as portraits of specific plants he found, associated with a memory and a place (Laurent, 2013). In a way, the plants have an identity as a specific plant instead of being a member of a specific species. This leads back to seeing the artwork as what it is rather than what it represents. The reduction of a plant into simple lines makes it feel peaceful to me.

The process he goes through to draw these plants also shows me how I could apply it to my own work. He finds a plant that he wants to draw and he draws it. He doesn’t spend a laborious amount of time on it because he wants to get the “freedom of the line” and “swift curves” in the plants (Sobieski, 2013). I should emulate this process because if you can draw something simple while still giving the drawing clear readability of what it is, you have the building blocks to create more from it. It would also be a good exercise in drawing form.

Photography:

Hans Hiltermann- 'You' from Brett Sayer on Vimeo.

Hans Hiltermann

He does minimalist portraits of people. His specific body of work titled YOU is about people and how we inspire each other through our perceptions of others (Hiltermann, 2013). The portraits taken in YOU are of people without any kind of mask. Their faces are naked from makeup and accessories. They are laid bare for all to see. During the shoots the people were also told to look into the camera as though they were looking into the eyes of someone they were completely comfortable with (Sayer, 2013). The portraits seem honest and they depict the essence of the person. So the portraits themselves have more to say about the viewer rather than the actual person. The portrait becomes a kind of mirror, reflecting the viewer's judgement as a piece of themselves in another person.

Here, I think the relationship between the viewer and the work is really beautiful. It's beautiful in that the person you're looking at and how you see them says more about you than the actual person. So it really is like a mirror. I especially admire the stark honesty of the portraits in portraying the person as just a person without any kind of mask. I think the removal of extra details like a smile, makeup, accessories and so on in the minimalist portraiture here gives it the viewer room to fill in the gaps to make sense of the person themselves. This is what I think is interesting. The suggestion of something rather than a flat out statement. I find that this method is more powerful than directly giving out all the details in a very controlled way.

Kenna, M. (2006). Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Retrieved from http://www.michaelkenna.net/gallery.php?id=17

Michael Kenna takes Minimalistic photographs of hauntingly beautiful landscapes. His photographs are made by taking long exposures of up to 10 hours long, usually at dawn or dusk when the light is most pliant (Bellows, 2013). His work is about the setting as a stage. An impression of a place where stories happen. He sees his work as an invitation for the viewer to explore the landscape with their imagination and make up their own stories of what might have happened in that place (HolgaDirect, 2012). For me this is interesting because rather than putting all the characters and objects of a story inside he strips it all and leaves behind the stage. This could be quite an interesting way to tell a story in one image. Leaving behind the scene but removing all the characters, encouraging the viewer to make up their own minds as to what happened.

In another interview Kenna talks about attaining a style. He said that finding your style in art is about finding yourself because each person is unique in that their perceptions are shaped by their different experiences (PhotographyMonthly, 2010). Another way to develop style is to emulate the style of people you admire. The traditional way he processes his photography is also derived from photographers he admires. For me I think this is important. Because in all honesty I don’t feel like I know enough about myself. Thus, finding my way through drawing and making more art could be a way to get to that. In addition, it would help create a distinctive method to tell a story in one image.

Reference List

Bellows, J. (2013). Michael Kenna. Retrieved August 5, 2013, from http://www.josephbellows.com/artists/michael-kenna/bio/

Gershman, R. (2013). Ellsworth Kelly. Retrieved August 4, 2013, from http://www.theartstory.org/artist-kelly-ellsworth.htm

Hiltermann, H. (2013). YOU. Retrieved August 5, 2013, from http://hanshiltermann.viewbook.com/english-site/you-1

HolgaDirect. (2012). An Exclusive HolgaDirect Interview with Michael Kenna. Retrieved August 5, 2013, from http://www.holgadirect.com/holgadirect-interview-michael-kenna/

Laurent, A. (2013). Art & Botany: Ellsworth Kelly’s Plant Drawings. Retrieved August 4, 2013, from http://www.gardendesign.com/ideas/art-botany-ellsworth-kellys-plant-drawings

PhotographyMonthly. (2010). Michael Kenna: The Master of Landscape. Retrieved August 5, 2013, from http://www.photographymonthly.com/Tips-and-Techniques/Pro-Zone/Michael-Kenna-The-Master-of-landscape

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. (2013). John McCracken (2009). Retrieved August 4, 2013, from http://www.rbge.org.uk/the-gardens/edinburgh/inverleith-house/archive-exhibitions/inverleith-house-archive-main-programme/2009/john-mccracken

Sayer, B. (2013, March 14). Hans Hiltermann – 'You' [Video file]. Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/61833395

Sobieski, E. (2013). The Eyes Of Ellsworth Kelly: The Insightful Artist Turns 90. Retrieved August, 4, 2013, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-sobieski/the-eyes-of-ellsworth-kel_b_3361047.html

Zwirner, D. (2011). John McCraken Biography. Retrieved August 4, 2013, from http://www.davidzwirner.com/artists/john-mccracken/biography/