Communication

"[...] to say that art has meaning is mistaken because then you believe that there is some message that the art is carrying like the telegraph, as Noel Coward said. Yes, art is expressive, but it is expressive of that which can be expressed in no other way. So, it cannot be said to have a meaning which is separable from its existence in the world." -Carl Andre

Art is an exclusively original medium of communication.

While artists in the past passionately strove to express and communicate their central ideas and philosophies, Minimalists tried to strip art to its metaphorical skeleton. Although they desired to avoid extraneous meanings and communications in their artworks, their ideology paradoxically sought to communicate a theme of meaninglessness, a theme in itself. Therefore, some saw it as flawed and merely boring; others saw it as revolutionary. But the essentials of human discovery in art stayed constant.

Its roots are essential and primordial to all people--artists, men, and women. Through its simplicity, much of the art is nihilistic. However, many minimalists did not intentionally seek the nihilistic idea that views life and human values as meaningless. One may believe that they communicated an international theme about human existence: the reason and purpose of existing on this planet. Because they wanted their work to merely become a part of the viewer's environment by stripping art down to its essentials and pure necessities, the art communicates through its implications the human tendency to excessively and ostentatiously analyze symbols, life, and the surroundings.

The Minimalist movement was thus revolutionary to the art world in the sense that it took an elemental idea without adding extraneous meaning.It is this idea that makes Minimalism a key to understanding contemporary art. Minimalism was a complete change of pace in the art community, in which the art simply became part of the environment.

Minimalism raised the provacative question: "What defines art?" And if art is a means of communication, then Minimalism also asked: "What defines communication?" Questions such of these opened up a new world of creativity for artists. From installation art to performance art, these artists strove to find new forms of communicating their ideas.

Key to Understanding

Minimalism serves as a key to understanding the rebellious mood of the 1960s. The decade was a time for change and Minimalism coincides with this change. Since art serves as a reactionary medium of expression, Minimalism expressed the discontent with the current state of art theory, elitist critics (parodied in Carl Andre's chart), politics, and other issues.

Because of its large impact on the art world, Minimalism is a key to understanding contemporary art. Many contemporary artists draw large amounts of influence from Minimalism.