Minimalism

Minimalism is a philosophy and aesthetic of simplicity, emptiness, and purity. Born in 17th century Japan, it has spread throughout the world, exerting a major influence on art, architecture, design, fashion, and politics.

Minimalism in Japan

Japan has a long tradition of favoring simplicity, austerity, and plainness, especially in the context of its religion, philosophy, and aesthetics. In the 17th century, new influences from Zen Buddhism, Chinese Daoism, and the Heian period arts melded together in Japan to create a powerful minimalist aesthetic that would shape the next several centuries of the country's culture.

This aesthetic was characterized by qualities like:

• wabi-sabi: a sense of beauty in the transient, the imperfect, and the incomplete
• ma: the use of negative space or emptiness to create balance and harmony
• kanso: simplicity, austerity, and the elimination of clutter
• fukinsei: asymmetry and the imperfection to create balance
• datsuzoku: free from any preconceptions or conventions, spontaneous and unbounded

These principles became key elements of Japanese gardens, tea ceremony, Noh theater, and architecture, especially after the Edo period (1603-1867) when a centralized state structure and economy developed.

Influence on the West

The minimalist aesthetic of Japan began to reach the West in the 19th century through the works of travelers, artists, and intellectuals who visited the country. Some of the most notable early European visitors influenced by Japanese minimalism included:

• Japanese woodblock, depicting minimalist landscapes and minimalist designs, had a major impact on Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in Europe
• Leonard Bernstein visited Japan in 1958 and was deeply inspired by the music, poetry, and aesthetics of the Japanese arts, integrating it into his own compositions
• Frederic Mompou, who visited Japan in the 1920s, was inspired by the simplicity of Japanese koto music and the haiku for his piano compositions

Minimalism in the Industrial Age

As the world industrialized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, minimalist aesthetics became even more powerful as a rejection of the mass consumption and excess of industrial societies. Simplicity, austerity, and emptiness became even more appealing as the world filled with clutter and noise.

Famous minimalist artists of this era included:

• Marie Kondo, Japanese lifestyle guru who popularized minimalist decluttering and organization as a way to simplify life and spark joy
• Ad Reinhardt, American painter who explored the use of color, form and composition in his minimalist abstract paintings
• Dan Flavin, American minimalist artist who used fluorescent lights and tubes to create new forms of minimalist art

Post-World War II minimalism

The period from the aftermath of World War II to the present, known as the late modern period, saw minimalism grow even stronger. World War II and its aftermath brought new levels of destruction, clutter, and pollution that made minimalist aesthetics even more appealing.

Minimalist aesthetics came to dominate the arts, design, architecture, and even politics:

• Mies van der Rohe, a German-American architect, embraced minimalism in his use of simple geometric forms, open floor plans, and minimalist materials in his architecture.
• Jony Ive, chief design officer at Apple, helped create the minimalist aesthetic of Apple's product designs, with their sleek, simple forms and intuitive interfaces.
• Masamichi Katayama, Japanese interior designer, created minimalist spaces in the retail shops of global fashion brands like Nike and Colette.
• Green Politics emerged from the minimalist aesthetic, emphasizing the simplicity, frugality, and sustainability of a less polluted, less cluttered world.

Minimalist culture in modern times

Minimalism remains a powerful cultural and philosophical force in the modern world. It influences our fashion, architecture, design, art, music, literature, philosophy, and even politics. As we navigate the challenges of the 21st century, the ethos of simplicity, emptiness, and purity offers a sustainable way forward.