Minimalism Movement
Minimalism, which emerged in the 1960s, allowed artists who appeared self-conscious to reject art that they perceived to be decaying and academic. The minimalist movement is most closely identified with three people: Robert Morris, Foster, and Briony Fer. Most reviewers and artists consider Morris to be one of the best sculptors who pioneered the new minimalist style. Morris famously stated in "Notes on Sculpture" that "there may indeed be a common sensibility in the arts at this moment" (Morris, 225). Morris' thoughts plainly indicate that contemporary sculpture has received little attention. Note on Sculpture, seems to provide a series of assertions, which were both influential and provocative. In his work, Morris also seems to challenge the interest that many people have in visual reading of sculptures, arguing that people need to embrace perception instead. He is rejecting suggestions on art, arguing that Judd’s specific object notion is blurring the distinction that exists between sculpturing and painting.
Bordering on Blank: Eva Hesse and Minimalism
In the other work "Bordering on Blank: Eva Hesse and Minimalism", Fer seems to be criticizing Eva Hesse’s work. Hesse clearly considers the elements that make Eva Hesse’s work appeal to the world and critically considers these elements. For instance, at the beginning of his article Fer consider ‘eccentric abstraction’ and defines it using Lucy Lippard’s words (Fer, p.424). It is also critical to note that Fer is trying to bring out Sigmund Freud’s philosophical aspects through Eva Hesse’s work. Fer provides, in this article what makes Hesse’s work more appropriate. For instance, Fer argues that Hesse has the capability to create an artistic representation of something with creating the individual form, which in most cases stands as part of the body (Fer, 426). In his perspective, this is an important way for artist to deliver work that offers eccentric or erotic to a minimalist art.
The Importance of Materials in Minimalism
While minimalist artwork is largely criticized, Morris and Fer seem to consider how the work of some artists can be used to save this art. According to Fer (81), the materials employed by an artist are very important. Hesse seems to understand this concept clearly consider that she heavily experiments with materials such as rubber latex and fiber glass. Also, the way artists employ these materials for their work provides important insight regarding their understanding of the materials. For instance, Fer clearly consider Hesse’s use of rubber latex in its liquid form, suggesting that this allows her to exploit the materials with much ease (Fer, 81). However, there is significant challenge regarding the materials Hesse used for her artwork. Because these materials were mostly temporal, Hesse’s artwork did not ensure the wrath of time, considering that her artwork deteriorated with time.
Morris's Perspective on Sculptures
In view of Morris’s article it is important consider his argument regarding optical reading of sculptures. The needs to ensure artistic elements that are mostly associated with sculptures are very important. This can be seen from Morris’s change of focus from the debate of Judd’s empirical object to an implied viewer of a sculpture, which had been orchestrated as a contingent relationship between the subject and the object. In his perspective, people need to maintain their focus on minimalist art. Considering Morris’s work critically, one can simply argue that he is has assumed the catholic attitude in his work. Even though, Morris uses epigram in the first part of his work, he seems to shift to ideas that were developed by Erwin Panofsky and George Kubler in other parts of his work. Employing Gestalt theory, which Morris clearly states that he encountered while in college, was very important in this article. This allowed him to capture the aspects of what need to be understood by artists in today’s society.
Work Cited
Fer, Briony. "Bordering On Blank: Eva Hesse And Minimalism". Art History 17.3 (1994): 424-
449. Web.
Morris, Robert. Notes On Sculpture. 1967. Print.
