Minimalism, or how less really can be more

Unlike Abstract Expressionism, which for a time became the dominant influence in painting in the post-World War II period, Minimalism has been incorporated into almost every aspect of the creative Arts. Rebelling against the messy, raw emotionalism of Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism was all cool logic and clean lines.

From the plays of Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter and the short stories of Raymond Carver to the films of Robert Bresson and the musical compositions of Philip Glass, the impulse to strip one’s artistic creation down to its most fundamental components is often categorised as Modernist, yet this very late stage was perhaps more notable for its function as a stepping stone to Postmodernism. Once everything had been reduced to its essence there was nowhere for designers, architects, composers, filmmakers and writers to go, except to add more flourishes and decorations to their work.

The emperor of architectural minimalism, Ludwig Mies van de Rohe, famously adopted the motto “less is more” thus neatly categorising his extraordinarily economical designs. Heavily influenced by traditional Japanese buildings, the Minimalist architects favoured simplicity – the more extreme the better.

Focusing on the use of available space instead of ornamentation, the Minimalist architect’s ultimate aim is to create multi-purpose spaces: some extreme examples of this are floors being used as radiators and fireplaces doubling up as bathrooms.

American architect, designer, inventor and futurist Buckminster Fuller adopted the engineer’s tenet “doing more with less”, another classic Modernist aim, yet designs such as his 1967 Montreal Biosphere can still be seen reflected in much later, post-Postmodernist structures, such as Cornwall’s much-praised Eden Project.

While its critics damn it for its alleged coldness and sterility, a new generation of architects still find inspiration in Minimalism’s challenge to eliminate unnecessary ornamentation and to maximise available space.

Rimontgó can offer a number of memorable Minimalist properties:

Four-bedroom villa in Benicassim Costa

Fantastic five-bedroom villa in Denia La Sella

Magnificent Modernist villa in Zaragoza with five beds and six baths

New post on at Wednesday, 24 March, 2010, 8:55 am and is archived in Décor/Architecture/Industrial & Furniture Design, House Elements. Subscribe to answers with RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.